


Truth.

by PhoenixSmoke



Series: 500 years in the making. [2]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Action & Romance, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Behavioral Analysis Unit (Criminal Minds), Canon Compliant, Canon Rewrite, Declarations Of Love, Developing Relationship, Drama & Romance, Eventual Smut, Falling In Love, Fluff and Smut, Love, Love Confessions, Romance, Secret Relationship, Serial Killers, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Smut, Spencer Reid Fluff, True Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:55:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 37
Words: 47,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29133648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixSmoke/pseuds/PhoenixSmoke
Summary: Continuation of "Olivia.".Olivia and Spencer continue to explore their relationship while simultaneously keeping it a secret from their team and chasing serial killers around the country.What could possibly go wrong?Warning: things start to get real in this series.Similar to my other works, I create new characters and weave them into the world of Criminal Minds. I don't own any of the original dialogue, I just play with it.
Relationships: Spencer Reid & Original Character(s), Spencer Reid/Original Female Character(s)
Series: 500 years in the making. [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2032945
Comments: 38
Kudos: 66





	1. Seven Seconds

Olivia rushed over to the door when she heard knocking on the other side. "Sorry, sorry." She apologized, letting Spencer in. "I'm running late." She explained. 

"That's okay." He said, closing the door behind him and placing the two cups in his hands on the kitchen counter. He watched as her go-bag came sliding across the floor from her bedroom.

"I'm not usually this unorganized." She called from down the hall. 

Spencer chuckled, "I know." He said, taking a sip of his coffee. 

She came back towards the kitchen, gun now strapped on her thigh, and threw her FBI pass into her bag. "But my alarm didn't go off and then I slept in, and..." 

"Whoa, whoa, okay. Slow down." Spencer smiled, stepping towards her and placing his hands on her hips. She glanced down at her watch. "But we've got-"

"We've got time." He said calmly. He reached out and brushed her hair away from her face. 

Olivia let out a deep breath and finally looked at him properly. "Hi." She said softly, an embarrassed smile on her face. 

"Hi." He chuckled, leaning forward to kiss her. She rose her hands to his chest as he pulled her closer to him, deepening the kiss. She sighed against his lips, making him smirk when he finally pulled back. 

"Now we can go." He said handing her a cup. "But you take this. And I...take these." He said, picking up her car keys from the counter. "Deal?" 

Olivia nodded with a laugh. "Deal." 

"And she's back." He said triumphantly, picking up her go-bag and slinging it over his shoulder as he picked up his own cup. "Let's go."

As they walked towards her car park, Spencer reached out and took her hand in his, lacing their fingers together as they walked side-by-side. "So, I've been meaning to ask you something." Olivia said carefully. 

"Okay." Spencer replied as he unlocked the doors for them, throwing her bag in the back with his own. 

"I know tomorrow is your birthday." She said. "Would you, um... Let me cook you dinner?" 

Spencer stopped his actions, looking over at her over the roof of the car. The blush on her cheeks evident in the morning sun. 

"I'd love that." He said genuinely.

Olivia beamed back at him, nodding happily, "Good."

They climbed into both sides of the vehicle, closing the doors behind them. But before she could get herself settled, Spencer reached over and wrapped a hand around the back of her head, pulling her towards him in another kiss.


	2. Seven Seconds pt.2

When they arrived they were met by Emily in the kitchen making her own coffee. 

"Good morning!" She greeted. 

"Good morning to you, lovely." Olivia smiled, "Someone looks like she's in a good mood today."

"What's up, pretty boy?" Derek said, coming to join them. He nodded towards Olivia, "Hurricane." 

Emily looked over at him, confused. "What?"

"Hurricane Kallis." He said, gesturing to her. 

"That's what you're going with?" Olivia asked, "Hurricane?"

Derek nodded, "Yes I am. Girl, I've seen you in action."

"Well its better than shorty. 'Eh, shorty. How you doin?'" She said, dropping her voice down to imitate him. 

"'How you doin?' I didn't realize I was Joey." He said, shaking his head playfully. 

Olivia laughed, "That might have been exactly who I was picturing when I said that."

"Ooh, might have been?"

"Might have been."

"Who's Joey?" Spencer asked, he was very confused. 

"Come on, man. You know Joey? From Friends? 'Joey doesn't share food?' Joey." Derek said..

Spencer shook his head, causing the rest to laugh. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

The team was interrupted by JJ and Hotch who came down into the bullpen in a hurry. 

"Everybody up, the Rapid Deployment Team needs our help." Hotch said as he led them out the doors and towards the elevators. "There's been another little girl reported missing from the Potomac Mall."

"Oh god." Emily said as the doors closed. 

"They're already in lockdown and they're asking for our help." JJ explained. 

Everyone was on edge as they waited for the doors to open again. Spencer brushed the back of his hand gently against Olivia's offering a small moment of comfort. She glanced down at their hands, turning hers over so she could take hold of his fingers. It was a small thing and no one else noticed, but she needed it. 

When the team arrived they were immediately greeted by the CARD leader, who reached out to shake Hotch's hand. "Jim." Aaron greeted. 

"We've been in lockdown for almost twenty minutes." The man said. "My team's already in motion. 

"Another female." Emily started as they were all handed radios. "Same age, same time of day, taken from essentially the same location." 

"What makes you sure Katie Jacobs is still in the building?" Derek asked. 

"The mall's got cameras installed at every entrance and exit. Surveillance confirms Katie entering the building but no sign of her leaving." The man explained. "Security paged her over the intercom and their original sweep came up empty."

"Whoever killed Jessica Davis last week left that mall with her because he wanted time with his victim in privacy." Spencer began. 

"Assuming it's the same offender, he wouldn't stray from his m.o., he wouldn't leave here without his victim." Hotch confirmed. 

"So if Katie is still under this roof, so is her abductor." JJ said. 

"Garcia." Hotch ordered. "Report to the mall's security office. Reid, Morgan. I want you to find the head of security. We need all data from every search team." He turned to the rest. "You guys start with Katie's parents, We'll treat them all like a neighbourhood and we'll separate into areas of control. Come on."

They all divided and headed their own ways. Olivia, Emily and JJ were being briefed as they walked. "Katie was last seen by her cousin in the arcade about 25 minutes ago. She was wearing jeans, a green shirt, grey sneakers and ponytails." 

An officer approached them with a list that he handed to Emily. "Registered offenders located within a 45-mile radius." She sighed, looking at the long list of names, "Okay run this against former and current employees as well." She said handing it back. 

The original officer returned again handing them a photo. "Mom's cell had a picture of Katie on it." She explained. 

"Get one to every search team, every officer, every patron. Plaster it everywhere." Olivia instructed. "Every single witnesses needs to know who we're looking for. We've got hundreds of eyes in here- let's use them."

"Problem is, our unsub could be any one of them." JJ said as the officer left. The three women looked around the crowded space at the civilians. "Well we have to start somewhere." Emily said, pointing towards the far wall. "There's her parents."

They crossed the room to the other side, where two couples sat, listening to the officers around them. JJ approached first. "Hi. We're agents Jareau, Kallis and Prentiss with the BAU." She began. "You're Katie's parent? Aunt and uncle? This can't be easy. We're here to walk you through this." She explained. 

Olivia's cell rang and she stepped away to answer it. "Yeah, Aaron."

"When you've spoken to the parents I want you to join Reid on the building search, Morgan is going to join Garcia in the security office and I need JJ and Emily to start debriefing." 

She nodded on her end. "You got it."

When she returned to the group JJ had outlined their plan of action. "Hotch?" She asked. 

"Yeah, he wants to start on the debrief- I need to find Reid. Are you guys good?" She asked reaching for her radio. 

"Yeah we're good." Emily confirmed.

Olivia turned away and brought the radio to her lips. "Agent Reid, location status."

"Second floor arcade."

"So she and her cousin came in here about thirty minutes ago and that was the last time anyone saw Katie?" He asked the head of security as Olivia approached. 

"Hey." Olivia said, putting in her earpiece as she approached. 

"Hey." Spencer said, turning back to the woman. "Ten minutes after the assault is usually the offender's lowest point in self-esteem." He explained. 

"He could be panicking right now. He's got a witness." Olivia pointed out.

"Richard Allen Davis strangled Polly Klaas just to prevent her from identifying him." He added. "Now, usually this would just be a snatch-and-grab, but keeping in mind the first abduction, it's more likely we're dealing with a preferential offender. His victims fall into a particular type- he came to this mall knowing what he was looking for because he feels safe here, he's familiar with the surroundings."

The woman looked less and less convinced as her men worked with the FBI to continue the search. Olivia took in her worried expression and met her eyes. "We will find her. This is what we do." She said calmly. 

The woman nodded and walked away. Olivia watched with a sigh. "You say it out loud and you'll believe it, right?" She asked. 

"Right." Spencer confirmed, reaching out to touch her arm.


	3. Chapter 3

After several hours of searching and coming up empty they were both starting to lose hope. Spencer felt his phone vibrate and checked the message. 

"It's Morgan." He said looking up at Olivia. "He wants me there to interview the cousin."

She nodded. "Go. I got this."

"You sure?" He asked.

Olivia smiled, "Go, doctor."

He returned the look before nodding and heading in the opposite direction. 

She turned back to the SWAT officers and removed her weapon from its holster again. "Alright, boys. Let's go find her."

They had just exited another one of the stores. Olivia sighed, locking it behind her with a federal issued padlock and marking the door with a chalk 'X'. Suddenly there was a noise over the speaker system overhead. They all paused and listened. 

"My name is Beth Jacobs. 45 minutes ago...our daughter Katie went missing. She's only six years old."

Olivia placed her hands on her hips to steady herself as she felt the tears well up in her eyes. The hush that fell over the building was palpable. 

"Last month she started first grade. Katie is our only child and we love her very much...we just want her back safe. The other day...Katie told me that she was ready to ride...a big girl's bike. Without training wheels." 

The crack in the mother's voice caused Olivia's heart to break. She closed her eyes and hung her head, saying a silent prayer as she continued. 

"And I promised her that she could do that on her birthday. Please, whoever you are...I hope you're listening. We just want our daughter back to us safely. Katie is just a little girl...She's just a little girl who deserves another birthday." 

"Liv." Hotch's voice came through over the radio. 

"Aaron, go ahead." She said, snapping herself back. 

"The scent dogs are on their way to you, they're going to pick up where you are. You're the point of contact."

"Copy that."

A few moments later the SWAT dog's handler met them on their floor. "Phillips." The man said, introducing himself, "This is Colonel." He said, nodding towards the dog. 

"SSA Kallis." Olivia replied, she turned towards on of the men on the search team. "Jacobson. You're up." 

"Yes, ma'am." 

She turned back to the scent team. "Lead the way, Colonel."

She followed the handler and the dog through the corridors of the mall as he picked up on what was left of Katie's scent. Eventually it led them to a trash can. 

"He picked up on something in there." The handler said when the dog sat patiently beside the can. 

Olivia pulled on a pair of latex gloves and lifted the receptacle, tipping it upside down onto the floor. 

"We've got leftover food...empty cups... "The officer said, going through it.

"And this." Olivia said holding up a dainty gold chain. "Is this it, buddy? Is this what you smell?" she asked, holding it towards the dog, who barked in response and stayed sitting. 

She smiled, "Good boy."

"What did you find?" Hotch said, advancing towards the group. Olivia stood holding the chain in her hand. 

"Katie's necklace." She said holding it up for him to see. "But Aaron, look at this. You see the ends?" She said pointing to the damage in the clasp. "Someone ripped this off her neck."

***

"Olivia, storage closets on the south side, go now."

"Copy." She said instinctively as the instructions came through her earpiece. "With me, let's go." She said to her tactical team as she headed down the hallway at a run. 

The team followed behind her as she turned the corner They made it to the door but it didn't budge when she pushed on it. "Do we have keys for this?" She asked the security team. 

"Uh, we-we can get them." The man shrugged. She turned to one of the SWAT officers. "Knock it down." She instructed. 

"Yes ma'am." The team leader said as he and another officer lined themselves up. Together they delivered swift kicks to the metal door, knocking it open. Olivia followed behind as they cleared the space. 

"Katie!" She yelled out as they entered. They ripped everything apart, going through the entire room and coming up empty. 

Olivia raised her microphone to her lips. "Hotch, I got nothing. I'm clear on my end."

"Alright guys, pack it up, get ready to move." She instructed before another messaged passed over the frequency. 

"We got her! We need an ambulance down here now."

"Oh my god." she whispered, her whole body flooding with fear. 

"What is it?" One of the officers asked. 

"They found her." Olivia said, turning to him. 

"Alive?" 

"I don't know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is straight up one of my favourite episodes of CM. Ever. So naturally I had to make it a good one for you, don't worry- it's not over yet. ;)


	4. Seven Seconds pt.3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told you it would be a slow burn. But since you all stuck with me this whole time... ;)

Olivia walked outside to meet Spencer, Derek and Penelope out in front of the mall entrance. 

"Hey." She said stepping up beside them. 

"Hey, oh my goodness!" Penelope said, enveloping her in a tight hug. "Oh, I could hear you over the radio but I couldn't talk to you all day." The woman said.

"Yeah, I heard you did great though." Olivia smiled at her. 

"No, you did great. Look at you- you're a hot sweaty mess." She said. "Running around with the big guns all day."

Olivia chuckled and looked out at the little girl being loaded into the ambulance. "Worth every second." She said quietly. 

"Hey pretty boy." Derek said, turning to Spencer. 

"Yeah?"

"Happy birthday."

Olivia and Penelope looked over at him as he glanced down at his watch. "Oh right, it's past midnight- thanks." He smiled. 

"Saving her life? That's a pretty great gift." Penelope said, giving him a big hug. 

Eventually the rest of the group faded away and all that was left was Olivia and Spencer. "I um... I know it's late. Or I guess it's early, rather..." Spencer said, fumbling a bit over his words. 

"Come home with me." Olivia whispered quietly. 

Spencer looked down at her, taking her in. Her messy ponytail hung low at the nape of her neck and several strands had escaped, blowing around her face in the evening breeze. Her face was flushed but her eyes were bright. He smiled, she was everything he needed. 

"Absolutely."

***

Olivia unlocked the door ahead of him, stepping inside as he followed. He closed it and turned towards her as she set her bag down on the floor. 

"You know, I was planning on decorating. Buying a small cake, maybe a chocolate frosted donut." She smiled "With a little candle on top."

He chuckled and stepped towards her. "I was going to clean too, obviously, and not be covered in sweat and FBI grime." She gestured to the apartment and then herself. 

"Make it a little more...romanti-" She said, her voice cutting off as he reached out and placed his hands on either side of her face, kissing her. 

She held on, her hands finding his hips before he pulled away. "There is absolutely nothing else I need right now." He promised her, his eyes never leaving hers. 

"Thank god." Olivia smiled before fisting the fabric at his sides and pulling him back towards her. Their lips met in perfect rhythm, Spencer reached out and gently pulled the elastic from her hair, letting it fall down her back before running his hands through and grabbing a fist full of it right at her scalp. 

She moaned in response and her hands fought to undo the tie around his neck. Tugging it off, she let it drop to the floor beside them. Spencer's hands ran their way across her neck and down her back, pulling her flush against him. 

They both broke the kiss in a gasp, needing air. Olivia looked up at him, her eyes dark. "Um, doctor?" She asked. 

"Mmm." Spencer responded, brushing his nose against hers gently. 

"Is that your weapon, or are you just excited to see me?" She asked playfully, bumping gently against the holster that was currently digging into her hip. 

He snorted, closing his eyes briefly before pulling back and removing the item from his belt, setting it aside on the counter as she repeated the action on herself. 

"Come here." He said, reaching out for her hand and pulling her back towards him. Her body met his, fitting perfectly in his hold. He held her jaw in his hands, staring down at her intently. He placed a gentle kiss on her lips this time, it was softer, and it sent goosebumps down her arms. 

"You...are so incredibly beautiful." He whispered. His voice was low and serious as he held her close. "I've been wanting to tell you that all day." She could feel the intensity of his words coursing through her as she looked back up at him. 

"Spencer...oh!" She squealed as he dropped his hands to the backs of her thighs and hoisted her up into the air, her legs automatically wrapping around his waist. She laughed happily as he made his way to her bedroom, unceremoniously dropping her onto the bed. 

"God, I love that sound." He said crawling over her. 

"Mmm." She sighed as he continued kissing her. "You know," She breathed as his lips travelled down her neck. "I do make other sounds." She teased. 

Spencer chuckled into her neck as he found the exact spot he was looking for, teeth coming out to gently nip at her jugular. Her resulting gasp was like music to his ears and he felt the blood of his body rush to his core at the sound. 

"Found that one." He whispered into her ear. His hands wandered under the hem of her shirt as his mouth continued across her collarbone. His hands were warm and more than welcome as her back arched to grant him more access. It wasn't enough for either of them. 

"Take it off." Olivia murmured, her breath ragged, but the doctor heard her clearly. He reached for the fabric at her waist and pulled, bringing it up and over her head, his eyes exploring the exposed skin. 

She had a few scars across her arms and her shoulders, but those he had seen already. Nevertheless, he placed his lips to every single one as he made his way across her body. Olivia hummed under his actions, her breasts pressing heavily against the black bra she still wore. 

Olivia freed her arm from his grasp and reached behind her, unclasping the garment and tossing it away. She smiled as he abruptly stopped, very much fazed by her actions. She reached out and gently ran her fingers through his unruly curls, bringing his focus back. 

Slowly he shifted his weight onto his left side, leaving his right hand free to gently caress along her side, his fingers inching towards her breasts. He ducked his head and placed a sweet kiss to her sternum as she sighed in contentment. 

As his fingers trailed across her soft skin, he focused his attention on the goosebumps that followed, placing a kiss across her breasts each time Olivia shivered at his touch. Her little gasps and moans encouraged him to lean forward and wrap his lips around her nipple. 

Olivia arched her back, her body seeking out more of him as her fingers clenched in his hair. "Oh, Spencer." She moaned, her legs tightening on either side of his hips. 

"There's another one." He murmured as he turned his attentions to her other breast. She tried desperately to focus as her hands moved to unbutton his shirt, but the more he continued his ministrations, the more she could feel her motor skills failing. She clutched desperately at the fabric as he gently grazed his teeth around her nipple. 

Her body bucked against his at the electric shock that coursed through her. "Please..." She gasped. 

The man smiled and pulled away, rising up on his knees, "Yes ma'am." He murmured. She watched as he finished the rest of the buttons and tossed his shirt aside. Olivia sat up quickly, reaching for his belt before he could get to it. 

She placed gentle kisses across his stomach where she could reach and pulled the belt from the loops. Spencer's hands found purchase in her hair and ran through the curls as she released the top button and zipper on his slacks. 

He shivered as she gently scraped her nails across his skin, groaning when she replaced her fingers with her lips and cupped his erection through his pants. "Mmm." She hummed against him. "Those are nice sounds too." 

Spencer chuckled, "Okay, enough." He said, placing a hand on her shoulder and pushing her back onto the bed. Olivia giggled, bouncing against the pillows as she watched him step off the bed and kick his pants off. She smirked as the mismatched socks followed, and then the black boxers. 

Her eyebrows rose and her teeth bit down on her lip as he approached her again, completely naked. He watched as her eyes roamed over his body, clearly enjoying what she saw. Her tongue darted out to lick the corner of her lips and his hips bucked slightly in response. 

Instead of going back to touching her, he reached out and took hold of the waistband of her jeans, repeating her own actions as he unfastened them and tugged them down over her hips. She toed her socks off and gave him a trusting nod. 

Spencer smiled and placed lingering kisses over her hips as he lowered her underwear down her legs. His lips found a sensitive spot in the crevice of her hip bone and Olivia twitched, her hand reaching down to land on his forearm. 

"Ticklish?" Spencer asked, he crawled back up her body. "Maybe." She smiled, leaning up to capture his lips with hers. 

"Maybe?" He whispered, placing kisses behind her ear as one hand trailed back down her stomach, brushing against that same spot again. 

Olivia gasped loudly as her hips snapped up against him. He continued further, caressing the inside of her thigh as she squirmed under him. "God, Spencer." She moaned. 

Her hand was clamped around his arm as she struggled to control her body. "Please...please..." She whimpered.

Her begging was his undoing. Spencer reached over and grabbed a foil wrapper off her night stand, opening it quickly and rolling the condom over his length. He shifted his weight back to his forearms, reaching down with one hand to lift her thigh over his hip as he lined their bodies up. He looked down at her and kissed her gently. 

Olivia placed her hands on either side of his face, brushing her nose against his. She met his eyes and nodded, her expression open and trusting. 

He slowly moved his hips forward, entering her. He watched as her lips parted in a sigh, her eyes fluttering shut as her head tipped back. It was, in every sense of the word, the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Her hair was fanned out around them and her breasts rose with every breath she took, brushing against his chest every time. 

When he was fully inside her, he waited. His entire body on edge to make sure she was alright. She opened her eyes again and with a small smile, brought her other leg up to encircle his waist. She tilted her chin up and kissed him, the action making him involuntarily tilt his hips, bringing another gasp to her lips. 

"Yes." She whispered, giving her permission. Spencer's head tipped forward in pleasure as he began to thrust inside of her. 

"God, you feel amazing." He whispered as he tried to set a rhythm for them. Olivia quickly caught on and tilted her hips to match him, gasping in pleasure. 

Olivia could feel the knot of pleasure building in her stomach with every thrust. "Harder." She begged, her hands finding a hold on his shoulders. "Spencer, please." 

He complied immediately, his hips snapping harder against hers, causing her to cry out. It wasn't long for either of them now. One of Olivia's hands had found it's way back into his hair, every tug at the back of his neck arousing him even more. 

"Spence- oh god, I'm close." She gasped, her fingers were wrapped so tightly around his arm he knew it would form a bruise. He didn't care, his hips speeding up their pace against her. "Come on." He encouraged, "Cum for me, Liv.". 

He reached down between them and pressed a few gentle circles into her clit, watching as her eyes squeezed tightly shut and her body stiffened under him. She cried out as her muscles tensed around him. 

Spencer tried desperately to hold out, but the image of her in orgasm drew his own out of him. His hips faltered as he felt himself empty inside of her, his head dipping forward to rest against her shoulder. 

They stayed there for a moment, catching their breath as they eased back into reality. "Wow." Olivia mumbled as she ran her hand over his back and into his hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, If no one comments I'm going to operate under the assumption that you're all robots.


	5. Seven Seconds pt.4

Olivia woke several hours later to a tingling sensation on her scalp. It was so calming and relaxing she didn't think much of it until she realized she wasn't alone. She could feel Spencer's warm body pressed against hers before she even opened her eyes. 

Smiling, she finally did, her focus settling on the man with her. She was curled up with her head on his bicep, the hand behind her playing with her hair. His eyes were soft and warm as he watched her wake. 

"Hey." He whispered. Spencer watched as her lips curved up into a smile as she snuggled further into him. 

"Hey you." 

He chuckled bringing his other arm up to wrap around her waist, pulling her closer to him. "How do you feel?" He asked quietly. 

Olivia looked up at him and placed a soft kiss on his lips. "Perfect." 

The moment was interrupted when both of their phones went off in the other room. Spencer groaned and flopped over onto his back as Olivia slipped out from under the covers and laughed as she made her way out into the hallway. 

She picked up her cell off the floor and looked at the screen.

"Is it a case?" Spencer called from the bed. 

"No." She replied, walking back to the bedroom. He looked over, and for a moment stopped paying attention to everything else. He didn't even hear her explanation, he was lost in the sight of her leaning against the doorway, very, very naked. 

Her hair was messy and fell over her shoulders like a dark curtain, landing just below her breasts. The curve of her hips were even more prominent than usual from her position and he could begin to feel his body reacting to her all over again. 

"Spencer?" She asked when she didn't get a response from him. She looked up and tried meeting his eyes, but his attention was focused on literally every other part of her body. She smirked, slowly walking towards where he lay, the sheet that barely covered his hips was doing nothing to cover his growing erection.

Olivia made her way to his side and placed her knee on the edge of the bed, the other coming up to straddle him. She tossed her hair to the side and leaned down over him. "Are you listening?" She teased. 

Spencer shook his head. "No." He said honestly, his hands coming up to caress the tops of her hips. 

Olivia chuckled, lowering herself flush against him so she could place her lips on his neck. "I said, Garcia invited everyone out for drinks tomorrow."

"Mmm." He replied absently as she continued her assault on his neck. 

"Which means you're going to have to get control of yourself." Olivia said glancing pointedly down towards his waist. 

Spencer considered it for a moment. "You said tomorrow, right?"

"So you were listening." She teased. 

He moved quickly, wrapping his arms around her waist and rolling them so her back was pressed against the bed. "Gives me plenty of time." He assured her with a smirk. 

***

The next evening Olivia stepped into the bar, her eyes immediately adjusting to the dim lighting and noises around her. She spotted the team in a booth in the back and made her way over to them. 

"Hey! You made it!" JJ said, throwing her arms around her. 

"Of course I did!" Olivia smiled back. She could feel Spencer's eyes on her with her every move. 

"Oh my god, oh my god. You need a drink." Penelope said, reaching out for her hand and immediately turning her towards the bar. 

The woman held on tight to Olivia's hand, only releasing it when they turned the corner. "Hey, slow down- what's up?" She asked when the woman turned to her with a knowing look. 

"Uh, the glorious hickey on your neck." She teased. 

"What?" Olivia said, her hand reaching up to touch the side of her neck. 

Penelope laughed and took her hand again. "Come on." she said holding up her purse. "This little baby, has everything we need."

Olivia followed her into the washroom. And turned towards the mirror, she groaned at the sight of the red mark on her throat and several others that she was just noticing on her collarbone. 

"Mmmhmmm." Garcia smiled, "I bet you were making that sound a lot last night." She teased as she started searching through her bag. Olivia rolled her eyes at her and brushed her hair back out of the way as Penelope started applying makeup to the area. 

Before she had finished Emily and JJ opened the bathroom door. "Hey we went looking for you guys but we couldn't...um...what is that?" Emily teased pointing at her.

JJ gasped, "How did I miss that?" She said, giggling. 

"Oh my god- shut up." Olivia said, mortified. 

"Stop moving!" Penelope chastized, "Do you want me to cover this or not?" 

"Yes, yes. Sorry." Olivia sighed. 

"So..." JJ began, leaning against the counter. "You uh...want to tell us?" 

"Nothing to tell." Olivia said, blushing.

Emily snorted and looked at her through the mirror. "I'm sorry- you work for the FBI?"

"Was it like a one-night thing? Or is this a regular guy?" Garcia asked. "What?" She said when Olivia glared at her, "I'm not just the makeup artist- I want details!"

Olivia sighed, "We've been...seeing each other." She admitted. 

"Seeing each other naked." Emily smirked. "How long?" 

"Um...a few months."

"You're gonna break Spencer's heart when he finds out." JJ said, teasingly. Olivia actively avoided her gaze in the mirror. "We're just friends."

"As opposed to his man, who is clearly working his magic because you, my friend are glowing." Penelope smirked as she put the make up away. "All done." She declared. 

"Oh thank god." Olivia said, pushing away from the counter. "I need alcohol."

When they arrived back at the table they each had a fresh glass in their hands. "What took you guys, so long?" Derek asked, making room in the booth. 

"Oh you know..."Penelope said smoothly, "Girl talk."

Olivia and Spencer ended up sitting directly across from one another, putting him at the perfect position to take in the glare she fired his way. His eyebrows raised in question but she just rolled her eyes. 

"You ladies ordered a round of shots?" The waitress said, carrying several glasses on her tray. "Right here." Emily and Olivia said at the same time, causing the whole table to laugh.

All four women clinked the shooter glasses together and downed them.

"And these last two?" The waitress asked, holding up two amber-filled shooters.

"Ah yes! One for the birthday boy- there you go Dr. Reid. And the other for the birthday girl!" Penelope said, placing it in front of Olivia. 

"When is your birthday?" JJ asked. 

"Monday." Derek answered. "They both have birthdays on the opposite ends of Halloween. Freaks." He smirked, taking a sip of his beer. 

"So what is it then... You guys are separated by three days and..."

"Three years." Spencer finished as he clinked their glasses together.

"That's not that big of a difference!" Emily defended. "But your clock must be ticking, huh?" She teased in a mock whisper. 

"And here we go!" Olivia said tipping her head back and swallowing the shot. 

***

Olivia gasped as Spencer pushed her back into the mattress as he pulled his shirt up over his head. "This is entirely your fault- you know that?" she gasped as he grabbed a fist full of her hair and brought his lips to hers. 

"What are you talking about?" He said, pulling back slightly. The alcohol was making his brain fuzzy and all he could think about was how good she smelled. 

"These." She said pushing him off her to pull her own shirt over her head, shoving her hair back. 

He stared back at her breasts. "I don't..."

"Oh my god, Spencer." She mumbled. "Not the boobs. The hickeys." She clarified. 

His brain finally focused enough to understand what she was saying. For the first time tonight, his eyes found the blotchy off-colour makeup that had started to rub off, revealing the bruises underneath. 

He leaned forward, his fingers carefully running over the marks. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't help the smirk that graced his lips. 

Olivia's eyebrows knitted together. "Are you...are you laughing?" She asked. 

He couldn't help himself anymore. He let out an uncharacteristic snort before dropping his head into her shoulder. Olivia was stunned. Never in a million years would she have guessed that was going to happen. She couldn't help herself, she wrapped her legs around his waist and rolled them over onto their sides. Enjoying the carefree look that covered his features. 

"You know that those women are going to be on my case for like... the rest of my life now, right?" She said reaching out to caress his cheek. 

He nuzzled into her, wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her close. "I promise." He chuckled, "No more marks." 

"Yeah you better." She smiled back. "At least...not any that are visible." she teased. 

The man's head perked up at that. "Oh really?" He asked, she could already see the wheels turning. She shrieked as he rolled her onto her back and brought his lips down on her stomach, kissing his way across the soft skin. He sought out every sensitive spot he could find, sending her into a fit of giggles as she tried to push him away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end of this makes me giggle every time. I hope it made you, too!


	6. About Face

Olivia sat at her desk in the bullpen trying to distract herself with a report while Emily still continued to grill her about the 'new guy'. Thank god the only other person around was Derek, and he wasn't paying them any attention. 

"Come on Liv, I'm not Garcia." She teased leaning forward and lowering her voice. "You can tell me."

Olivia smiled and shook her head. "Like I said, it's new. I don't want to...jinx it." She said quietly. 

"What- how are you going to jinx it by telling me?!" Emily asked, her voice raising. "Have you seen him since... You know." She said, gesturing to her neck. 

"Shhhh." Olivia said looking around. 

Emily leaned forward, "Well Penelope was right about one thing...you are glowing. And you know what that means." She whispered, raising her eyebrows suggestively. 

"Emily..." Olivia hissed. 

The woman leaned back in her chair and nodded, "So that's a yes then."

"What's a yes?" Derek asked, turning in his chair to hear the rest of the conversation. 

"SSA Kallis has been getting a little action- off the job." Emily teased, causing Olivia to roll her eyes. 

"Oh really?" He asked, his sing-songy tune interrupted by a jump when Spencer jumped behind him in full Halloween gear. "Rawr!"

Morgan rolled his eyes as his heart rate came back down. "Reid..." He sighed, placing his papers back down on the table.

"Happy all hallows eve, folks!" He announced joyfully, walking over to his desk. "To paraphrase from Celtic mythology," He said as he pulled the mask off his face, "tomorrow night all order is suspended, and the barriers between the natural and the supernatural are temporarily remoooooooved!" 

Emily and Olivia laughed as he tossed them each a handful of candy. "Saved by the monster." Olivia chuckled. 

"See that right there is why Halloween creeps me out." Derek said.

"You're scared of Halloween?" Olivia asked. 

"I didn't say I was scared, I said I was creeped out." He clarified, holding up his hand. "There's a difference there, youngster. You should look it up."

"Youngster?" She repeated, unimpressed. 

"Unlike pretty boy there, it is not your birthday for another day. So yes."

Emily shook her head, "What creeps you out about it?" She asked playing with the plastic head that Reid left on her desk. 

"Oh I don't know- people wearing masks." He said sarcastically, gesturing to Reid who stuck his tongue out at him. "I don't like folks in disguises."

"But that's the best thing about Halloween. You can be anyone you want to be." Spencer said, tossing a candy at him. 

"Nah, I'm pretty good just being me."

"Yeah, why is it that neither of those points of view surprise me?" Emily asked out loud, shooting a look towards Olivia, who laughed. 

"You know what, though?" Derek said, leaning back in his chair. "On the flip side, it does provide a pretty good reason to cozy up with a scary flick and a little Halloween honey. Aint that right, Liv?" He asked, shooting her a wink. 

Emily burst out in laughter as Olivia choked on the water she was drinking, sliding her chair back quickly so she didn't spill it on her paperwork. 

"Speaking of, you and this mystery dude have any special birthday plans?" He asked, happily watching her fluster. Everyone was so busy laughing at Olivia's reaction, no one noticed the slight blush on Spencer's cheeks. 

"Yeah, disposing of your body-thank you." She smiled, wiping the water from her chin.

"Guys, he's here." Spencer said, changing the subject as Erin Strauss walked past them with David Rossi. They all knew he was coming, but his reputation alone caused them to all stop and stare as he walked by. 

Spencer self-consciously tugged the mask the rest of the way off his head, causing his hair to stick up at all angles. 

A few minutes later JJ emerged from Hotch's office. "You guys ready for a briefing?" She asked. 

"Yeah, yeah. We're good." Derek said as they stood. Spencer removed the remaining costume and kicked it under his chair just in time as Hotch and David approached them. 

"SSA David Rossi, this is SSA Emily Prentiss." Hotch introduced as he went around the group. "SSA Derek Morgan." 

"It's an honour, Agent Rossi." He said, shaking the man's hand. 

"Please, it's just Dave." He smiled. 

"Dr. Spencer Reid."

"Sir, I-if I could ask you later about your work with the Scarsdale Skinner. Psycholinguistics in an incredibly dynamic field, and the fact that your profile of his reading habits ultimately led to his capture is something I find so incredibly intrig-"

"Reid. Reid." Aaron said, interrupting the man's rambling. "Uh, he'll be here for a while."

"Right, sorry."

"No problem, doctor." The man smiled easily. 

Olivia couldn't help but chuckle before stepping forward and extending her hand. "Olivia Kallis." She introduced, giving Spencer a moment to relax. "Pleasure." 

"Besides," Aaron smiled. "You guys can talk on the jet." 

"The jet?" David asked, turning towards him. 

"We have a jet now."

"Are you serious?" He asked, impressed. 

"Yeah. It comes in pretty handy. Come on, JJ's waiting." He said, leading the way. Emily followed and Olivia chuckled as Derek reached out and gave Spencer a soft smack across the cheek, nudging him towards the roundtable room. 

Once they all sat down for the briefing Olivia reached under the table and ran her hand over the outside of his thigh, earning her a smile as he flipped through the pages of the file. 

"Carrollton, Texas. A suburb just outside of Dallas. Four days ago, Michelle Colucci found this flier on her front door." JJ said, bringing up a photo of a missing flyer with the woman's face on it. 

"She found it?" Derek asked. "Meaning she wasn't actually missing?"

"Yet. She took the flier to a friend's husband. A Detective at the police department. Who told her it was probably a Halloween prank and he sent her home."

"Well I don't blame him." Derek said shooting Reid a look. "Halloween brings out the fool in everyone." Olivia shook her head and smiled softly. 

"Nevertheless, he stopped by Michelle's house later to check on her. The door was open and when he went inside he found this." She said bringing up a photo of the inside of the woman's house covered in the same fliers. "Still thought maybe it could be some kind of a prank, until yesterday. Michelle was found floating in a small creek just outside of Carrollton. She had been sexually assaulted and...her face had been removed." 

Every member of the team was taken aback at that as JJ put the autopsy image up on the screen. 

"Oh my god! What is that?!" Garcia said as she covered her face with a file folder. 

"Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia this is SSA David Rossi." Aaron introduced turning to Dave. 

Penelope didn't move. "Is it gone? JJ?" She demanded. 

"Yeah, yeah. You're safe." The woman smiled, changing the image. 

"Okay." She sighed, lowering the file and handing it to Hotch. "Um, so... Carrollton Texas has nearly 117,000 residents...it's a, diverse population with... Well... It's all in there. I'm sorry." She said to the room before extending her hand to Dave, "Very happy to meet you, sir. I'll be in my, uh, office." She said before turning around, doubling back to close the door behind her. "Sorry." She apologized again. 

Dave nodded, "She's different." 

Aaron smiled. "You have no idea."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gotta freaking love Penelope. She's the best.


	7. About Face pt.2

As soon as the plane landed in the morning, they headed to the police station. Emily and JJ hurried their pace to each loop one arm through Olivia's. The men looked at each other behind them, amused. 

"What do you think that's about?" Aaron asked.

"They're talking about boys." Derek smirked. 

Hotch raised his eyebrows. "Seriously?"

"Yup. Rumour has it, the hurricane has a little thang going on that she's keeping to herself. Which means I was wrong." He said, turning to Spencer. "I always thought she had a thing for Pretty Boy." 

Reid shook his head and willed away the urge to smile. "Just friends."

***

"So...more about Mr. Mystery." JJ started. 

"JJ, we're doing this right now?" Olivia moaned. 

"Yes, right now. Are you guys like...a thing?"

"What?"

"An official thing?" She clarified. 

"We... haven't really...um, talked about it." she admitted. 

"So he hasn't asked?" Emily wondered.

"Uh, no." Olivia said, as she disengaged from the hold the other two women hand on her to open the door. "Can we go to work now?" She asked.

JJ, ever the professional once again walked towards the man in charge, "Detective Yarbrough?"

"FBI? We got another flier, this time from Metro Dallas. Enid White. Her roommate called Dallas PD this morning. Enid never came home after walking her dog last night." The man explained, all business. 

"So she is missing?" Spencer clarified. 

"Well he wallpapered the neighbourhood with fliers for two blocks around the apartment." He explained. 

"Outside?" Derek asked, "That's different."

"No one saw him putting them up?" Emily asked. 

"Dallas PD is still canvassing, but nothing so far. They're waiting for you on the new scene."

Aaron took charge, "Morgan, you and Prentiss go to Michelle Calucci's house. JJ and I will talk to Enid's roommate. Reid and Olivia take Dave with you to the disposal site?" 

"You got it." She answered. 

They exited the vehicle and the detective began leading them towards the dump site. "We went over this area pretty thoroughly. There's no evidence left." He explained. 

David held a hand out for Olivia to pass him as he spoke out loud. "I just was to stand where she was." He turned around, "Dr. Reid. Do we still keep all the files in the fourth floor store room?" He asked. 

"I think somewhere up there- you know most of our information is on computer now."

"Right."

"Any chance you've ben able to go over our data since you've been back?" He asked as the crossed over several fallen branches. 

"Not yet."

"Oh, you'll be amazed. The original team- well, I mean...you interviewed something like uh, 45 serial killers, right?"

"Something like." The man answered. Olivia smiled as Spencer continued rambling on, his excitement evident in his voice. "Today, we've interviewed over a thousand offenders." He explained. "Serial killers, child abductors, sex offenders. I-I'll go over it with you sometime if you like-"

"Sounds good." David responded, cutting him off. He was distracted by their surroundings. Olivia reached out and ran her hand over Spencer's back where the others couldn't see. She offered him a comforting smile.

The detective stopped next to the edge of the creek where they found Michelle's body. 

"We found her right here." The detective said quietly. "I really thought it was a prank."

"You can't blame yourself for that." Olivia said. 

"She made herself dinner." The man replied. 

"Excuse me?" Spencer asked. 

"She had time to make herself dinner. It means she was home for a while before he...there was time to help her." He finished. Olivia placed a hand on the mans shoulder before backing off to give him some room. 

She and Spencer watched as David began mumbling to himself as he walked the space. "Water...it obliterates a body...destroys evidence. But she floated to the top."

"It's the first thing the unsub didn't succeed with." Olivia murmured. 

"Green River dumped most of the bodies in the water." David continued. "But they weren't weighed down..."

"We know now it's cause he didn't care if they were found." Spencer said. "He had no connection to them."

***

Later in the conference room, Reid sat with JJ as they flipped through the case files again. He glanced up momentarily and saw Emily and Olivia out in the hall at the coffee machine. 

"Hey, JJ." He said getting her attention. 

"Yeah." She said, not looking up.

"What, uh...what were you guys talking about earlier?" He asked carefully.

She looked up at him. "Who?" 

Spencer cleared his throat, "You and Emily and Olivia."

She chuckled, "Oh we were giving her a hard time about her new secret boyfriend."

Spencer raised his eyebrows and tried to appear surprised, fidgeting with his pencil. "Secret boyfriend?" He repeated. 

She rolled her eyes, "Well I guess not really boyfriend, but did you happen to notice a couple of bruises on her neck the other day at the bar?" 

He narrowed his eyes, "Bruises? No." He said looking away. 

"Yeah, well. Those were hickeys." She chuckled. 

"Wait-" Spencer said, "How do you know it's not a boyfriend?" He asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"She said... they hadn't brought it up. Apparently it's new."

"Oh." Spencer said, looking back down at the file but not reading any of the words as JJ continued. "I mean not everyone has to have the conversation, but sometimes a girl likes to be asked." She explained. "Otherwise it can start to feel like... Just a fling, ya know?" 

Spencer nodded, clearing his throat again, "Uh, yeah. Yeah that makes sense." He said as the other two women started to walk back towards them. 

"I'm sorry though." JJ said placing her hand on his arm. "I know you liked her. Hey- don't tell her I told you, okay? I think we embarrassed her enough already."

Spencer nodded as he dove back into the file. 

***

"Olivia, Morgan." Hotch said, getting their attention. "Suit up." If we get a lock on Enid White we have to be ready to go in."

Olivia nodded, "Yes, sir." She said, heading towards her go bag. She swapped out her hip holster for the thigh and strapped her vest tightly to her. 

She stood up straight and met Spencer's eye across the room. He tilted his head towards the turnout room and she followed, making sure no one would notice their absence. 

She stepped into the locker room and was met by strong hands pulling her into a warm embrace. "Spence." She whispered holding on to him. 

"I know, I know we set rules about work, but every time I see you in that vest..." He murmured. 

"Kevlar, really. That's what does it for you?" She teased gently.

He rolled his eyes and kissed her forehead. "If by 'does it for me' you mean fills me with immediate dread. Then yeah."

Olivia rose on her toes, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and kissing him soundly. She pulled away and leaned into him. "We got this." She whispered. 

"She can buy a gun that easily?" Hotch asked as they walked back into the room. 

"This is Texas." The detective sighed. 

"There's no licence or waiting period for most rifles or shotguns." Rossi elaborated. 

"Anything on her location?" Olivia asked, adjusting her vest. 

"Detective." An officer said, rushing into the room. "There's an urgent call from a woman on line one."

"I guess we're about to find out." JJ said. 

The detective opened the line, "My name is Enid White." A female voice said. 

"Where are you, Enid?" He asked. 

"The news report said that the police didn't believe that other woman when she saw the missing fliers."

The detective sighed, "That was a mistake, Enid."

"I have a gun." She told him. "I don't think I can stay awake very much longer. I'm at El Royale Motel. In Dallas, room six. I saw the fliers. Hurry, please. He's going to kill me." She pleaded. 

Olivia and Derek lined up on either side of the door. She tried the handle. Locked. She shook her head and Derek nodded and changed his position, ready to kick it down. 

"FBI!" She yelled out before he moved forward and knocked the wood off its hinges. Morgan entered first and Olivia followed quickly, hot on his heels. Quickly and practiced they cleared the room. 

"Clear." Olivia called out and the rest of the team entered. 

"She's gone." Emily said as they all took in the room. The fliers were everywhere and there was a mask on the bed just like the first. This time, the number 2 was spelled out in blood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Those ladies are ruthless. lol But we love them!
> 
> Also Goddamn! I love writing about concerned Spencer.


	8. About Face pt.3

"There's a sophistication in what this unsub does that suggests a level of maturity. This puts his age in the mid-thirties to mid-forties range." Emily explained. 

"Michelle Colucci was taken from the primary scene and disposed of at the tertiary scene four days later, that means she was held somewhere for three days in between. You can't really just hold a victim anywhere for days on end. So he most likely has access to a house of some kind." Spencer added. 

Olivia nodded, "Right, and he's fairly tech savvy. The fliers were made with computer software and he would have used a device to intercept Enid White's phone call from the motel."

"Witnesses in Enid's neighbourhood said they might have seen a white man putting up fliers, but none of them could describe him." Aaron pointed out. "Even with all the media attention this case has received. What that tells us, it that there is absolutely nothing remarkable about this man. He is exceedingly average."

Spencer made the mistake of making eye contact with Olivia at that. Remembering her comment the other night. He ducked his head slightly and crossed his arms over his chest. 

"That extends to his professional life as well." Emily said. "He most likely works in a field where he does not stand out."

"This is an element of his psychopathy." Hotch said. "We have hundreds of interactions with people every day. Most of those involve someone overlooking someone else. Most of us don't pay any attention to being ignored, but to this kind of unsub. Each oversight is intentional especially when it comes to the object of his sexual desire. He begins to obsess over her until she's all he can think about. All the rage builds until he has to attack that person."

"So he's pissed off that nobody notices him?" The detective asked. 

"Have you seen me?" Olivia said, drawing their attention. 

"Wait- that's not about the women?" 

"No." Emily clarified. "The masks are about the women. Number one, number two. The fliers however, refer to him. It gives him a sense of power. Every time."

"That same power does make him arrogant, but it does not make him notable." Olivia finished. 

"And that arrogance, means that he will contact you." Derek said. "His crime scenes show a spectacle. He wants to show off for the police. If we play on his anger... Are you guys seeing that?" He asked, pointing up the television screen. 

They all turned to look. There was a photo of the mask on the latest news bulletin. "JJ how did they get that?" Hotch asked. 

"I told them." The group turned to look at Agent Rossi who was standing off to the side, scribbling in his notebook. 

"What?" Aaron asked. 

"I told them the FBI thinks the masks mean he's impotent." He replied calmly, tucking the notebook into his jacket pocket. 

Several glances were passed between the team before Aaron stepped forward. "Can I talk to you for a second?" He said, leading him away. 

Olivia looked out at the rest of the room. "Uh, thank you for your time." She said addressing the group. "We'll keep you updated with anything else." 

***

"Is the building sealed?" Hotch asked as they passed through the front door. 

"Top to bottom."

"Make sure it stays that way." He said before turning to the group. 

"Morgan, take 7. we're looking for a rank and file employee who made a scene in the last twenty minutes or was here and gone. Prentiss, 8. Reid 9. Don't approach him just try to get a name, maybe a picture." He instructed. "Olivia, you're the distraction. Make yourself look official and intimidating."

She smiled, "My specialty." 

"He's here somewhere in the lobby." Dave said, looking around. 

"What?" Hotch asked. 

"Can't you feel it?" 

Aaron nodded, "Display your credentials. FBI. He think we know what he looks like." Olivia took the cue and rolled her shoulders back, keeping her stance tall and pushing her hair back. The FBI logo on her kevlar vest even more prominent than before. She placed one hand on her weapon, held safely in her thigh holster as she scanned the crowd for diminishing behaviour. 

Out of the corner of her eye she watched as Aaron and Dave displayed their credentials and pulled out a piece of paper, pretending to look for a like face. She held her ground until she saw it. She raised her wrist to her mouth, the microphone clicking on. "Eight o'clock." She said, walking around to flank the two men. 

Aaron nodded, hearing her response. He and Dave immediately took action, keeping a clear boundary as they began their approach. A moment later his phone rang. "Yeah, Reid." He paused as they watched the man become more restless. "Got it." He said quietly, pulling his weapon from the holster. Dave and Olivia followed his actions. 

"Max Pool." Hotch called out, causing the man to freeze on the spot. "We have your address Max, there's no place to go." 

"This is agent Rossi, Max." Dave announced. "If you do what you're thinking, you won't get to tell them I lied. Come on, Max. Slowly put your hands on top of your head."

"Listen to him, Max." Hotch instructed. 

"I know what you're thinking, and you don't have to do it. It doesn't have to end here, Max." Dave insisted. 

All three agents watched as he reached into the inside of his coat right when the elevator doors opened beside him. They all raised their weapons when his came into view and Olivia felt her heart rate spike when Morgan stepped out of the elevator. 

"Down." She yelled right as the shot rang out. 

Derek dropped himself to the ground rolling towards her as the man took the bullet square in the chest and crumpled in front of them. Olivia holstered her weapon and reached down, placing a hand on Derek's shoulder. "Are you alright?" She asked, her eyes darting over him to make sure he wasn't hit. 

He sighed and let his body relax into the ground before chuckling and reaching up to pat her thigh. "Yeah I'm good. Thanks."

Olivia let out her own laugh. "Good timing as ever, Morgan." 

Aaron stepped forward to check for a pulse on the man. "He's gone." He said shaking his head. 

"What about Enid White?" The detective asked. 

Aaron stood, "We have his home address." 

"And you think she'll be there?" 

"Let's hope so."

***

The police found Enid at Max's home, and she was taken to the hospital. It was going to take some time, but she would be alright. 

The team, joyous in their success headed back to the station to pack up their things. 

"So what do you think, Derek." Olivia asked. "Turns out Halloween isn't too bad after all, huh?" 

"Well considering I didn't get shot in the face this afternoon, yeah. I'd say it wasn't all that bad." He joked back at her, a smile on his face. 

Emily and JJ laughed as the detective walked back into the conference room. "Would, uh. Would you guys like to give us a hand with one more thing?" He asked, smiling. 

Everyone looked around and nodded, "Sure." Spencer said as they left the room. Outside the front doors of the police station were dozens of children dressed up in costumes. The detective smiled and handed off a few bags of candy. "It is a tradition." He said shrugging his shoulders. 

"Yes!" Spencer cried, taking a few handfuls of candy and heading towards the crowd. Olivia smiled at his excitement and followed, a bag of candy in her own hands. 

"Oh wow, look at all these costumes!" She said as she approached them. "You guys look awesome." 

Emily and JJ watched as Derek just shook his head. "Freaks." He said smiling before following to do his part. 

Back on the jet, Olivia sat in the back of the plane next to Spencer who was already half way through a book. She was searching for something, checking under her seat and around her legs. 

"What are you looking for?" Spencer asked looking at her. 

"My sweater." She replied. 

"Check your bag?" He asked, amused. 

"Um..." She pulled her go-bag out from the compartment and unzipped it. In top was her folded sweatshirt but poking out from the hood was a folded piece of paper. Curious, she lifted the sweater out and pulled the slip free, unfolding it. 

She noticed the handwriting immediately, the scrawl of the man next to her. She couldn't help but smile at the note as she read it. 

"Trick or treat?" 

She shot him a glance and he smiled back. He reached over and laced his fingers through hers comfortably before turning back to his book.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spencer loves halloween. ;)


	9. Happy Birthday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an *in between episode insert* I hope you like it!

"Jesus." Olivia gasped as she leaned her weight forwards onto her hands, trying to catch her breath. The world was still out of grasp from reality and the electric feeling she could still recognize as an orgasm was starting to ebb away. Spencer chuckled and rolled off the bed to clean up and dispose of the condom in the bathroom. 

When he came back in the room he smirked when he saw she was in the exact same position. All fours, right in the middle of the bed. He climbed back behind her and leaned down to place open mouthed kisses all the way up her spine. "As much as I enjoy the view, you can't stay like this forever." He murmured. Olivia shivered at that comment and chuckled, "My body certainly feels like it might." She jolted forward with a squeak as he pinched the sensitive skin under her bum. "Okay, okay. I'm going." She said, finally giving in and crawling towards the edge of the bed and stepping off towards the bathroom. 

She returned a few minutes later, taking the opportunity to stretch as she walked back to the bed where he was laying comfortably. She crawled over him and snuggled into the pillows. "That was a nice way to wake up." She smiled, looking over at him. He reached out and took her hand, placing a kiss on top before leaving it on his chest. "Happy birthday." He smiled. 

Olivia groaned and pulled her hand away, rolling onto her back to stare up at the ceiling. Spencer's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Hey, what's wrong?" 

"Ugh, nothing." She groaned, not meeting his eyes. Spencer rolled his own and crawled on top of her. "Mmm. You're heavy." Olivia murmured, and he pulled his weight up onto his forearms on either side of her head. "For an FBI agent, you're a terrible liar." He said simply, forcing her to meet his eyes. "And for someone who sees you naked on a regular basis, you have too little faith in my genius brain here." He said, pointing to his curly mop of hair, askew and out of place. 

Olivia chuckled and he smiled. "187." He reminded her. 

"Your genius brain is not what you use when you see me naked." She chuckled, then looked away for a moment as her eyes betrayed her. He saw something there in them that he couldn't place. "Does- does it bother you?" 

"Does what bother me?" He asked. She let out a sigh and her fingers reached out to fiddle with a lose thread on the bedsheet. "That I'm older than you." She said quietly. Spencer looked down at her, confused. "Of course not." He said seriously. 

Olivia looked back up at him. "Really?" She asked, her tone doubtful. He nodded, one of his hands reaching up to caress her cheek. "Really. In fact, I think I just showed you exactly how much it doesn't bother me. Or do you need a repeat performance?" He smirked. 

Olivia rolled her eyes, despite her laugh. "I'm being serious." 

"So am I." He said leaning down to deliver a kiss that all but took her breath away. When he pulled back and she was gasping for air he looked down at her, his eyes darker than they had been before. "There's no one else I could possibly want." He whispered, his tone confident and sure. "And if you need me to tell you every single day, I will. Gladly."

Olivia's lips curled into a soft and embarrassed smile as a blush bloomed up her neck. "Now come on." Spencer said, his hand coming down to deliver a light swat to her bum as he sat up. "You need to put clothes on. Because If you keep this up, being all warm and delicious and naked, then we really will be late for work."

When they entered the BAU, Spencer immediately walked over to the coffee machine as Olivia looked around. "Where is everyone?" She asked. Spencer glanced over his shoulder before he shrugged, turning back to his task. "I don't know. Check your phone. Maybe we have a case?" Olivia flicked on the kettle to make herself some tea before pulling out her cell and checking the screen. "Nope. Nothing."

"Well we are early." Spencer mused as he reached over into the cabinet and grabbed two mugs off the shelf. He then moved down to a cabinet further away and rummaged around. Olivia watched and smirked, "Still hiding your snacks?" 

"Maybe." He said, pulling out a familiar yellow package. "Just for that- you're got getting any." 

"Hey!" She protested, before a deep male voice caught her off guard. "Reid, Liv." They turned towards the sound and saw Hotch exiting his office and pointing towards the roundtable room. They nodded, and picked up their mugs. "Maybe we do have a case." Olivia murmured. 

She took a sip of her tea just as they entered and Derek, JJ, Emily and Penelope broke out in an upbeat jazz version of 'happy birthday'. Olivia froze and quickly swallowed the tea as Spencer placed a hand behind her back and nudged her into the room. She couldn't help but laugh as they finished their song, complete with a little dance. "What is happening?" She asked, placing her mug on the table.

"It's your first birthday at the BAU!" Penelope declared, her jazz hands waving about in the air. "We take birthdays very seriously." JJ smiled as she stepped forward to give her a hug. Olivia looked over her shoulder at Aaron and pointed an evil finger at him. "I hate you so much right now. So much." She said as he openly smirked. "No you don't." He said, leaning forward and placing a kiss on her cheek. "Happy birthday."

Derek stepped forwards to wrap his arms around her waist and hoist her in the air triumphantly. "Oh my god!" She shrieked. He laughed as he put her back down. "Not used to being that tall, huh?" 

"Funny." She said as Penelope came barreling through with a white box. "Okay, so although it will forever astound me that there is a human being on this planet that does not like cake. I didn't get you a cake." Olivia nodded, "Thank you." 

"Wait- what?" Emily interrupted. "You don't like cake?" Olivia made a face and shook her head, causing her to gasp dramatically as though personally offended. The rest of the agents laughed as Garcia continued. "So I got you donuts instead." 

Olivia laughed as they cheered. "Perfect. Donuts for breakfast." She laughed as the box was placed on the table. "Birthday girl chooses first." JJ said, pointing a finger at the men in the room. They all held up their hands in defense, laughing it off as Olivia opened the box to reveal a dozen brightly coloured and sprinkled donuts. She glanced up at Penelope. "Well done." She smiled, the analyst simply curtseyed in response. She selected one for herself before the rest of the team nearly destroyed the table, pouncing on the pastries. 

"Wait, wait, wait." Derek interrupted as Olivia froze, her donut up in the air ready to be consumed. "How old are you now?" 

The ladies in the room all groaned and shot him dirty looks as Olivia's turned into a full on icy glare. Instead of answering him, she simply shoved a large bite of donut into her mouth and held up her middle finger, causing the rest of the agents to burst out in laughter.


	10. Identity

"Ooh! You want to know something interesting that I figured out recently?" Spencer said turning towards Morgan at his desk. 

"Is this the one about the nuclear test ban treaty?" Olivia asked, reading the document in front of her. Spencer turned back around to address her. "No actually, it's the one about the death star." He said excitedly. She nodded, already hearing all about it at breakfast. "Well in that case." She said standing and patting him on the shoulder as she walked past. "Let 'er rip, Doctor." She said, leaving the room. 

Spencer watched her walk away for a moment before turning to Morgan and perching himself on the edge of the man's desk excitedly. "A popular theory among leading astrophysicists estimates that the hyper matter reactor would need about 10 to the 32nd joules of energy to destroy a planet the size of Earth. Now, Lucas said it took 19 years to build the first death star, right? But if you look at the chronology there's a testbed prototype for a super laser that spans- w-where are you going?" He asked as Derek stood and began walking towards Rossi's new office. 

"Taking back the last five minutes of my life." Morgan said sarcastically. Spencer stood. "You can't go in there." He said automatically as Morgan approached the stairs. "Don't you want to know about this guy?" He asked pointing at the door.

"Oh, I do." Emily said, raising out of her seat eagerly. Spencer shrugged and followed, "I've got it all memorized- his books, his bio."

"Yeah books that have sold over a million copies." Morgan added. 

"So?"

"There's a million reasons not to come back, If you know what I'm saying." Derek scoffed. 

Spencer looked around before following them into the space. "Huh." Emily observed, "Taupe walls. That's a negative colour. Cold, distant. You know, emotionally, taupe is linked to loneliness and the desire to escape from the world."

Derek shrugged, "I just figured the guy's walls would be covered with plaques and commendations."

"Huh. Maybe he doesn't want to be reminded of past victories." She shrugged, "It's a new chapter for him?" 

"What ever happened to the moratorium on inter-team profiling, guys?" Spencer asked, slipping through the doorway warrily. 

"Come on, Reid. Team?" Derek scoffed. "I don't think this guy knows the meaning of the word. Oh, I found something." He said, pulling out a framed piece of art. "Looks like some type of religious art. Original, maybe?" He handed it to Reid. 

"It's Renaissance art." The man observed, impressed. "If that's original..."

"Is it?" Derek asked. "I don't know, it's kinda hard to tell." He said, examining it. "Means he's into the classics."

"What else?"

"Uh...Italian. Strict catholic upbringing. Probably believes in redemption." 

"Well, I believe in a lot of things." Rossi said from the doorway, making them all jump. "Catholic, yes. Italian-American, 52 years. Strict upbringing, not so much. Now, the artwork, that's 15th century, original. Cost more than my first house, and as for the wall colour, it's just a base coat. Painters will com in and finish tomorrow." He concluded. "Now, if you're all finished, I think JJ and Hotch are ready for us. Isn't that how a team works?" He asked before leaving the room. 

The four of them shuffled into the round table room a few minutes later where Hotch, JJ and Olivia were waiting. Spencer sat down in his usual seat and Emily on the opposite side of Olivia. "Where were you guys?" She whispered, "And why do you look so guilty?" She asked suspiciously. 

"Don't ask." Emily answered as JJ started the briefing.


	11. Identity pt.2

Olivia watched in amusement as Emily's expression change from intrigued to confused as she watched Spencer work beside her. He had spread out across the desk that the four seats occupied, a map spread out in front of him and an array of different coloured markers surrounding him. 

"You know I could have gotten you a colouring book at the airport." She mused, causing Olivia to snort with laughter.

Spencer rolled his eyes, "I'm creating a topographical map, weighing down and geocoding all key locations looking for algorithms." He explained. 

Emily nodded, unconvinced. "Yeah. That's exactly what I though you were doing." Rossi looked over at the mess of colours and after a moment, simply shoot his head and turned away. 

"It's called a Jeopardy Surface." Hotch explained. "It's a way of narrowing down where the unsub could reside."

"And by default, where he may be stashing Angela Miller." Reid finished. 

Derek looked down at his case file, "You know, It says here the guy had a fully loaded gun, so we know he had options. Why the grenade?"

"He wants to be remembered." Rossi explained. "And he wanted to be sure to take as many cops with him as possible. He knows he's outgunned. So he waits, times it to the last second. Boom! There are some very committed people in those parts." He nodded. 

"And they love their fire power." Olivia added. 

"Almost as much as they hate us." Dave smiled. Derek sighed. "Militia."

"And they're heavily armed." Spencer pointed out.

"Is there any other kind?" Olivia asked. 

"Yeah, but, hand grenades?" Emily asked. "Seriously?"

"It's not uncommon for militia members to have military experience." Spencer explained, "Oftentimes, they resent the structure and they get discharged, and they form their own para-military governments." 

"Dental records are on their way to Garcia, I'll tell her to check military first." JJ noted. 

"Prentiss and I will go meet the husband." Hotch said. 

"Liv and I can walk the abduction sites." Derek added. Olivia nodded in confirmation. 

"Everyone else work on geographical profiles. Establish contact with the locals and tread carefully. They'll be watching us." The unit chief instructed. 

***

When Olivia returned to the precinct, she entered the conference room as Spencer, Emily and Dave were watching a tape of Goring speaking. "First, I will build a compound. A kingdom. Second, I will arm, fortify and protect my kingdom. Third, I will keep women as serfs to serve my every need. This is my right." He explained on the tape. 

"Charming." Olivia said, as she entered the room. "You find these at Goehring's place?" 

"Yeah, but my guess is, the kingdom is out there somewhere now." David said. 

"You know, If he wants to keep women as his serfs... There's a chance that all these women are still alive." Emily pointed out.

"Hey guys." JJ interrupted. "Goehring's wife is here." 

"That's my cue." Emily said, getting to her feet and following her out the room. Olivia turned and watch, curious. 

"Oh wow." She said, peering out the window. "You want to see creepy?" She said, "Look at her." Sure enough Goehring's wife was the exact type of the four women that he took. Almost identical. 

Dave followed Emily out of the room to sit in on the interview, leaving Olivia and Spencer alone. She sat down next to him in front of the television. "How many more of these were there?" She asked gesturing to the screen.

"Eleven." 

"Eleven?" She repeated, surprised. "Wow. What a dick."

Spencer chuckled and watched as she leaned back in the seat and crossed her legs. He found himself getting caught up in the image of her thighs wrapped around him and almost didn't noticed when she spoke. 

"Can I help you, doctor?" She asked, a ghost of a teasing smile on her lips. He snapped out of it, clearing his throat and averting his eyes. "Uh, no. Sorry." Totally inappropriate at work, way to go, Reid. 

She smirked and looked around to make sure no one was nearby. She reached out and placed her hand on his thigh under the table. She felt him jump under her touch and smirked. "You know...part of me is really hoping our hotel has thick walls." She whispered. Spencer chuckled and met her eyes, happy to know he hadn't made her uncomfortable. "I was just thinking the same thing. Well, that- and I've been meaning to tell you something-" He noticed Emily waving at them from the other side of the glass and stood, gesturing for Olivia to follow. "We've got an address." The woman announced when they fell into step with her. 

"Sheriff, let me know when they've swept the house for explosives." Aaron instructed as they climbed out of the vehicle. "In the meantime, check the perimeter- let's find her!"

"Angela!" Rossi called out as they all spread out. Olivia headed towards the edge of the property line, inspecting the ground for any disturbances when she heard it. "Guys! Guys, she's here!" Derek called out kneeling on the ground beside the woman's body. They surrounded the area, looking down at her. Goehring had seemingly laid her to rest, flat on her back in the bottom of a freshly dug grave with her arms crossed over her stomach. Her clothes were stained red with her blood. 

"She's gone." Derek said, feeling for a pulse. They inspected the body. "Looks like two exit wounds. Right here, upper torso." Olivia stated, pointing at her chest. "I promised her son we'd find her alive." The sheriff said quietly. Rossi looked up, confused. He placed his hand on the woman' neck. "What is it?" The sheriff asked. 

"She's still warm."

"So... Goehring...wasn't the one that killed her." Olivia said, looking around at the others in confusion. "He has a partner."


	12. Identity pt.3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Friday. I'm feeling generous. ;) This chapter episode is far from over. I can't wait for you to read the rest!

The team regrouped near the SUVs. "Angela's been dead for no more than a half an hour." Hotch announced as Derek spread a map out over the hood of the car. "The partner was just here. "

"He can't have gotten far. We'll set up road blocks within a forty mile radius." The sheriff said. 

"Sheriff someone around here must know who Goehring's partner is." Rossi said. "We should try his old pals, the militia. Maybe they can help."

"Militia leader is Harris Townsend. He owns a bar called the Horse Post."

Rossi nodded, "I suggest sending Morgan."

They all looked at him. "What?" Olivia asked. 

"All due respect, Rossi, but you got an entire team to pick from." Derek said. "You're choosing me? You serious?" 

Even the Sheriff looked hesitant at this choice. "No offense but...you really want to do that?" He asked. 

"Take JJ with you." Hotch agreed and Rossi nodded. "They know we're here. But you're the last face they'd expect."

Derek sighed. "Let's do it, JJ." He said heading off. 

"Hey." Olivia said as they started to leave. "Be careful. Both of you." She said seriously. 

Derek scoffed, "What just cause you're not going to be there to protect me this time?" He said, brushing her off. 

Olivia raised her eyebrows. "Lord knows you need it."

"I'll take these two, we'll head over to the barn." Rossi said, nodding at Reid and Olivia. She followed the men as she pulled open the large doors. 

"Wow." She admitted. 

"Well, he keeps everything neat." Rossi observed. 

"Obsessively so." Spencer added. "His trailer was organized, but this is different."

She went straight for the shelves, inspecting the little containers and their labels while Rossi headed for the gun safe. "It's open..." He observed, pushing the door open further with his gloved hand. "And empty. That's not good."

Hotch walked in. "What did you find?" 

"Shell casings for an assault riffle." Spencer said, holding up a box. 

"I have different shoes in different sizes." Olivia said from her spot crouched in front of the work desk.

Hotch nodded, "There are also fresh tire tracks outside from a pick-up."

"Hey guys?" A voice called from outside. The four agents walked out the door towards Prentiss who was inspecting the property. "There are three sections of roses, different heights, different levels of maturity." She said pointing around them. 

She crouched down, "These appear to be the most recently planted- the tags are still on them." She said, showing them the label. "And there it is..." She said pointing to the bugs crawling all around. Spencer kneeled down. "Carrion beetles." 

"Like in a cemetery." She confirmed. 

Hotch sighed, "Sheriff, let's get some shovels. We need to start digging."

***

Once the house was finally cleared by explosive sniffing dogs, the sheriff led the way inside. "Didn't find any explosives. Nothing rigged, but be careful." 

"Odd." Rossi said looking around, "Goehring kept his house almost cozy." He followed Hotch towards the bookshelf while Emily and Reid took the kitchen. 

Olivia peered through the drawers of an armoire off to the side of the room. The top drawer had a litter of playboy magazines, the next was filled with old receipts and take-out menus. Once she opened the third she knew she had nailed it. There were film tapes with a number of women's names on them. 

"Jackpot." She announced to the others and pulled the drawer clean out of the unit. Hotch and Rossi came up behind her to see. "Found it right below the porn." She said looking over at them. 

"We need to get these to Garcia immediately." Hotch said, handing the drawer to the sheriff. 

"You got it." The man nodded, taking it outside with him. 

She followed the others into the kitchen and listened as Emily read off the 'rules' that were hung on the wall. " One, all actions must serve to please the master. Two, insubordination will result in punishment...this is his new manifesto." 

"Sound like some of your ex's?" Olivia asked her with a smirk. Emily turned and made a face. "It uh...comes pretty close actually." She said, disgusted. 

"Really?" Olivia asked, intrigued as she moved on. 

"Notice that Master is singular and capitalized, emphasizing there's only one dominant partner." Reid pointed out. 

Emily smirked and turned to Olivia once again. "That's no fun." 

The woman chuckled. "So the partner is more of a servant."

"Or a serf." Spencer countered. "Watching the house, minding the lawn, helping him abduct women"

"All in a day's work." Olivia murmured. 

"Okay, so if his partner is a serf, what are the female slaves for?" Emily asked as Dave walked in the room. "Oh, I think I can answer that." He sighed. 

They walked into the next room where there was a single wooded torture chair and various methods of restraint. "Oh hell no." Olivia said quietly. 

"Now we know why the victims were taken so far apart." Spencer said. "They tortured them. It took time for them to die."

"This is where he kept them. The blood's fresh." Hotch said, pointing to a wooden compartment built into the wall. 

"And then there's this." Dave said, kneeling down on the ground and placing one hand under the bed frame for leverage. He lifted the frame as it contracted into itself, folding against the wall. The underside of it revealed several harshly cut metal objects. 

"Homemade torture tools." Dave said.

"They must have kept these women for months." Olivia said. 

"We need to give a profile."

***

They had an address. Henry Frost was Goehring's serf. His partner, and now, his replacement. They had stormed the house aggressively, hoping to find him inside, but he was nowhere to be found. Spencer was outside but came back into the house as Emily, Olivia and Hotch were investigating. 

"He destroyed everything he owns." Hotch observed. 

"Guys, he has no identity. And I think I know why- look. He burned every photo of himself that he had. And I found broken glass and hair dye in the trash outside."

"No way." Emily breathed. 

"A submissive depends upon a dominant partner not only for instruction, but for purpose and meaning." 

"Without Goehring, he literally has nothing. He's obsolete." Olivia said. 

"So he's starting over, wiping the slate clean. But as what?" 

"It's a revival." Olivia explained. "For his version of Goehring."

"Guys." Rossi interrupted, joining them inside. "Frost just abducted a woman from a gas station."

"Okay wait." Hotch said. "He's transformed himself into Goehring's persona so we have to believe he's going to act the same way."

"Right. So not only is he absolutely not going to go down willingly, now he has a hostage and he's going to want to kill as many of us as possible." Emily agreed. 

"Exactly. Sheriff." Aaron said turning to the man. "We're going to need to borrow a high powered riffle."

"You mean a sharp shooter?" The sheriff asked. 

"No. We've got one of those." Olivia smiled.


	13. Identity pt.4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And on Saturday, she gave the gift of smut.

The team arrived on scene behind the Sheriff's truck. They all exited the SUV with their Kevlar vests in hand. "My guys got eyes on him. He's on the very top of the peak on the far side of that ridge. He could see us coming." 

Emily looked up, shielding her eyes from the sun. "He already knows if he was listening to the police scanner."

"We gotta find a way to get up there." Derek said, looking around. 

"We won't be able to get close enough." Dave countered. He turned to the sheriff. "You have the riffle?" He asked. The man nodded, opening the back door of his truck and pulling out a long black box case. Olivia stepped forward and dropped the tailgate on the back, tossing her vest to the side as she accepted the case and put it on top of the ledge. 

She opened the box and nodded, turning to Hotch before beginning to assemble the weapon. "This will do." 

"Think you can handle it?" Derek asked impressed. 

"The wind in the valley will change the trajectory of a shot by inches. If you can't read the wind, the wrong person might get shot. You asked for the best and you have it." She said as she cocked the now-assembled weapon into it's safety position. "Now were you talking about me, or the gun?" She asked sweetly. 

Derek held up his hands, "You know what- forget I said anything." He said with a smile on his face. 

"Gladly." Olivia smiled, reaching for her vest and strapping it on. "What side is he on?" She asked, turning to the Sheriff.

"North side."

Spencer spoke up, "If you move around to the east side and head up the side of that ridge you should get a clearer shot." He said pointing. 

"Good." Olivia nodded, "You're coming with me." Spencer nodded, clearly pleased. 

"You sure you don't want a little more firepower, Liv?" Derek asked. 

She shook her head. "I've got this weapon and his brain, what more could I possibly need?" She asked. Spencer smiled, slipping his sunglasses on.

Hotch nodded. "Channel 23, keep it open. I'll go with the Sheriff. We'll stay at the base and try to distract him." He turned to Emily and Derek, "You guys go through the middle and stand by for back up. Keep your head down."

The teams split up and headed for their spots. Olivia and Spencer had eventually made their way to the top of the ridge which did indeed have a perfect vantage point. 

"Good call." Olivia said as she began setting herself up. She laid out flat on the ground and positioned the riffle in front of her, lining up her sights. 

Spencer followed her movement and laid down next to her with a pair of binoculars and the radio. "It's just geometry." He said, keeping a close eye on her. 

They watched as Hotch tried to make contact with the man, causing him to panic. He pulled the woman up off the floor and held her in front of him like a shield. "Do you have a shot?" Spencer whispered. 

Olivia let out a few full breaths, slowing down her heart rate as she peered through the scope. "He's got her right in front. I need some distance between them, not much."

Spencer raised the radio to his lips. "No shot, we need a distraction to force some space between them."

They could hear the shouting as Hotch started to work his way under Frost's skin. They knew the profile was doing it's work for them. Spencer couldn't hep but watch as Olivia stayed unbelievably still. Her entire body relaxed into the ground and her breathing was slow and steady. 

"Olivia- if you have the shot, take it." Hotch's voice came through over the radio. 

"Copy." She said quietly. 

It was a split second moment that seemed to last forever for everyone else on the ground. But Olivia was lost in it. Her view in the scope never wavering for a second. She could read the micro-expressions on the man's face. She knew what was about to happen. 

He shoved the girl hard to the side, and in the same moment Olivia exhaled, her finger squeezing the trigger just enough. Spencer flinched at the sound but Olivia didn't move, her eyes following the scene as Derek and Emily climbed the ridge towards Frost. His body laying in the dust, dead. 

Olivia let out another breath before raising up onto her hands and shifting her weight back so she could sit up. Spencer stood, offering her his hand and he helped her up. She stood before him, looking up at him. He smiled, she was completely covered in red dirt and sand . It was in her hair, on her clothes. But she was every inch the woman he...loved? It must be too soon for that. He reached out anyway and with his thumb rubbed off a smear of dirt on her cheek. "We should head back." He whispered gently. 

Olivia nodded, she knelt back down and picked up the weapon, throwing the strap over her shoulder before putting the safety back on and rendering it useless. She looked back up at him. "Lead the way."

***

Later that evening the team had decided to head straight for the jet, determined to head home. Once they were alone in the parking lot, Spencer reached over and took Olivia's hand, placing a gentle kiss on top before climbing into the driver's seat of her vehicle. He had no intention of going home without her. 

When they arrived at his bedroom they both dropped their bags on the floor and found each other. They held close in a warm and welcoming embrace that seemed to last forever. Eventually pulling back, she smiled and rubbed at his collar, "I'm getting you all dusty." She apologized. 

Spencer shook his head and placed a hand at the back of her neck, leading her back towards him in a breathtaking kiss. She held onto his arms as he controlled the pace, pouring so much of himself into it. Relishing the fact that she trusted him to do so. 

He slipped his hands under her thighs, lifting her up into the air and around his waist. They broke the kiss and she burried her face into his warm neck for comfort as he carried her into the adjoining bathroom. He carefully set her down on the countertop, smiling as he pulled back to brush her hair off of her face before kissing her again, softer this time. 

Olivia watched him turn around and start the flow of the shower, feeling the temperature until it was hot enough. He faced her again, reaching out to unbutton her shirt, taking his time undressing her. He peeled off her socks next and finally lifting her off the counter to undo her pants, lowering them down her legs until she was completely naked. 

He kept his eyes on her as he began to undress himself. He watched her eyes as they took in his actions, watching him expose himself to her. Once they were both undressed, he took her hand and pulled her under the warm spray with him. She shivered first at the temperature change but Spencer reached out and pulled her back into his arms, positioning them both under the showerhead. Olivia smiled and held tighter to him as he ran his hands up and down her back soothingly. 

After a few minutes she could start to feel herself getting accustomed to the heat of the water. Spencer pushed back the weight of her hair, letting it fall down her back. He bent down and kissed her before reaching around for the shampoo bottle. He placed a large amount in his palm and Olivia closed her eyes, enjoying the smell that she had come to associate with him and the way he massaged the liquid into her scalp. 

He cradled the weight of her head in his hands and gently tipped her back, letting the stream of the water wash the shampoo out. Olivia was content to just keep her eyes closed, enjoying the warmth of the shower and safety in his arms. Once he was finished, Spencer repeated the process with a small amount of conditioner before following on himself. 

Afterwards, he gently turned Olivia around so he was facing her back. With careful and practiced hands he lathered up a cloth with body wash, running it over her shoulders soothingly. Olivia sighed and leaned into his chest as he ran the fabric over her arms and stomach. She let out a gasp of a whimper as he repeated the movement over her breasts. Once he was done, he dropped the cloth to the side and wrapped his arms around her waist, placing warm kisses over her shoulders. 

"Can I tell you something I've noticed?" He whispered into her ear.

"Mmmm." She sighed against him as she ran her fingers over the arms that held her tight to him. 

"When you're at work, when you have these massive guns attached to you, or when you're up against an unsub...you're calm and collected and this...unbelievable agent. You're strong and determined and you have this wall built up to make you tougher." He said as he removed one arm to let his fingers trace delicate patterns over her body. 

"It's like nothing can touch you. Nothing can hurt you. You're in complete control." He added, placing a kiss to her temple. "It's really quite...sexy." He murmured against her. Olivia could feel his erection growing against her hip as he spoke. 

"But what's even better." He said, as his fingers began dipping lower and lower down her stomach. "Is when you're here in my arms. You give up all that control. And all it takes is one touch." He said, gently brushing his finger against her clit, causing her to gasp. "And you melt." 

She tilted her head back against his shoulder, making him chuckle. "See? Just like that." He whispered. He reached around and turned off the water, holding her as she shivered from the lack of warmth. 

Spencer reached around the curtain, pulling a large fluffy towel in the space and wrapping it around her. He gently pulled her hair out from inside and rubbed her arms to keep her warm before opening the curtain the rest of the way to grab another. He wrapped the towel around his waist and raked his hands through his hair to push it back. 

Olivia watched his every movement. He had this different air of confidence when he was around her. Just her. And it made him so unbelievably attractive. Evident in the very obvious erection he had no intention of hiding. He wasn't awkward or second guessing his movements. He was just. Spencer. She smiled as he took her hand, leading her out of the shower and back towards his bed. He turned her towards him, placing his hands on either side of her face before kissing her softly. 

He tugged on the towel that was hanging over her shoulders, leaving her exposed to the cold air. Olivia watched as he made quick work of drying her off, bending down of front of her to get all the way down her legs. Kissing the soft skin on her thighs as he went. Then he stood, taking his own towel from his waist and using one hand to rub it against his mop of hair. Olivia smiled, reaching up and sneaking the towel away before dropping it on the ground and capturing his lips again. 

She caught him by surprise but it didn't last long. Spencer grabbed her by the waist and lifted her small form onto the bed. He crawled on after her and rolled them so they were side by side, his hand coming up to wrap her leg over his hip. His fingers found purchase in the meat of her thighs, squeezing there as he kissed her soundly. The moan she gasped against his lips when his erection rubbed against her made him smirk. "Proving my point." He said, rolling her onto her back and reaching between her legs. 

He gently ran his fingers through her folds, a shiver skimming over his spine when he found her wet and ready. He placed several kisses along her collarbone before edging lower over the tops of her breasts. Her finger wove into the wet curls of his hair as he began kneading and sucking on her breasts, each of her moans encouraging him further. 

"Spencer-" She gasped as he kissed the hallow of her hips. "Please. I want you." 

He smirked, making a point of moving lower and placing another kiss on her inner thigh. "Patience." He said, making eye contact with her. 

"Spencer-" She pleaded again. He reached up and took hold of both of the hands that were struggling to pull him back up and pinned them down on either side of her hips by the wrist. "No." He said firmly, and a second later his tongue flicked out and he ran it the length of her folds. Olivia's head pressed back firmly into the mattress and her eyes rolled back at the contact. 

He continued this for a few moments before nudging forward and capturing her clit between his lips, sucking gently. Olivia cried out and fisted the bedsheets under her hands where Spencer was holding her in place. She squirmed under his hold, but didn't try and release her hands. He made quick note of that, continuing his actions as he felt her start to unravel beneath him. 

"Oh, I'm close." She gasped as her breath came quicker. Her back started to arch and he refused to stop, wanting to get her right over that edge and fall apart in his arms. "Put your fingers inside me." She begged, and he complied without hesitation, releasing his hold on her to caress the spot she needed. Within seconds Olivia could feel her muscles spasming under his touch. She cried out and rode the waves of the orgasm, reaching out to grasp his arms and hold on. 

When her breathing came down to normal again, Spencer let go of the iron grip he had on her thighs and began placing kisses along her skin all the way back up her body. She hummed at the attention, her body feeling content and warm under his touch as he made his way back to her lips. He brought his hand up to caress her cheek when he felt a lingering wetness there. 

He opened his eyes, focusing on where his hand had been. The trail of the tear that was left. Looking down at her in a panic, he worried he had pushed too far. "Liv..."

Her genuine smile immediately threw him off guard. "I'm sorry." She apologized, wiping at her face.

"What's wrong?" He asked, still not convinced. "Was it something I did?" 

She shook her head, "No-no. I promise it's not." She said, reaching up to gently caress his face and brush back his hair. "I kind of ruined the moment, didn't I?" She grimaced.

Spencer turned his head and placed a kiss on her wrist. "No, you didn't. But I would feel better If you talked to me." He said honestly. 

Olivia looked up at him, her thumb rubbing softly against his jaw. "You want to know why? Why I melt when I'm with you?" She smiled. "It's because I trust you. Because there's a part of me that is just...yours." She admitted softly. "And you show me, every day that I'm wanted. Without even saying it." She shrugged her shoulders, looking away for a second. "I'm happy. I cried because I'm happy."

She wished she could capture the look on his face forever. He looked down at her in total awe, and understanding, and... something else she was already way too emotional to analyze right now.

He wanted to badly to say it. Wanted so badly to tell her just how much he wanted her, every single part of her. That everything he was, was hers as well. How in all of his life, in all of his past of awkwardness and ridicule, did he manage to find the strongest and most beautiful person on the planet and make her feel this way about him? 

He had no answer or explanation in his brain. His brain that retained every piece of information and saw solutions in all problems. He had nothing in the world to explain it except her soft touch and her warm lips on his. 

Olivia wound her fingers through his hair, her nails scratching gently against his scalp, pushing all of his thoughts aside as she kissed him. Pouring all of her emotions into him. She reached down between them and took him in her hand, gently caressing him back to a full erection before lining them up herself. Spencer reached a hand under her head and pressed his lips back to hers hard as he pushed his hips forward, closing the distance between them. 

She gasped out at the contact, their lips parting briefly. In that moment, Spencer tilted his head to whisper into her ear, "And I am yours." 

His hand fisted in her hair as he fought for purchase, his thrusts strong and fast as she held onto him tightly. Olivia's moans turned into cries quickly as his hold on the back of her head held her in place. "Oh god." She gasped as she could feel another orgasm building quickly. Spencer continued to pump his hips into hers rhythmically, his face burried into her neck. He could feel her begin to tense under him and kissed her roughly.

She clung to him desperately as she felt the orgasm rip through her. She gasped, breathless as she came down from the high just as quickly, her body left with a remaining electric sensation over her skin. Spencer felt his own release following quickly and made the mistake of looking down at her. Her flushed face and swollen lips open and trusting for him and only him broke his resolve. His own orgasm came rushing through him before he could think, and his hips crashed against her one final time. 

His weight dropped down onto her, unable to care for a moment as his breathing came back under control. Olivia smiled happily and placed her lips against his collarbone. She gently traced the contours of his back with her fingertips, feeling his muscles relax under her touch. He finally found enough strength to push himself off of her, rolling beside her exhausted. He looked over as she cuddled into him. Finding a comfortable spot where he couldn't hep but notice, even in his blissed out mind, that she fit perfectly. 

No, he had gotten it right the first time. He loved her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because Spencer caring for another human is the sexiest foreplay. And OMG I loved writing this chapter so much. In my mind, private Spencer is a totally different creature from public Spencer. Especially when he's with someone that he...dun dun duuuuhhhhhh. Loves!


	14. Lucky

They woke up from the sound of Olivia's cell phone going off on the side table. 

Spencer immediately rolled over and buried his head under the blankets. "Turn it off." He mumbled. 

Olivia chuckled and reached over for her phone. Checking the caller ID, she picked up. "Hey JJ." 

"Sorry to call you this early." The woman immediately apologized.

"No, It's okay. What's up? We have a case?" Olivia asked reaching out and running her nails gently across Spencer's exposed side, a spot she knew was ticklish. 

"Mmmm!" He groaned, swatting her hand away. 

"Yeah, a bad one." JJ replied. "How soon can you get here?" 

"I'll be there in 30." She replied climbing out of bed and heading to her closet to get ready. "Okay. See you then." She said before snapping the phone shut. 

"Spencer, get up." She called sweetly. "Time to go to work." 

He crawled out of bed and snuck up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, enjoying the feeling of her warm body against him. "These are so fluffy." He murmured, running his hands over her fleece pajamas. "Let's just go back to bed and be cozy." 

Olivia chuckled, turning around in his arms and placing a kiss on his lips. "Come on, you. We have to hurry if we want to be able to get coffee on our way in." 

He perked up at that, "Mmm. Coffee." He said, turning away from her and towards the dress shirt he had hung up last night. 

***

"Morning." Aaron said as they entered the roundtable room. 

"Good morning." Olivia and Spencer both replied before taking their seats. 

"Just waiting on Dave." Hotch announced, noting their matching cups. "You guys come in together?" He asked with a note of curiosity to his voice. 

Olivia nodded, taking a sip. "I picked him up on my way." 

Hotch mirrored her nod, shooting her a look in the process. She deflected, looking over at Derek who hadn't said a word to either of them. He had a confused expression on his face. 

"What's up with you?" Olivia asked. 

The agent looked up at her, half paying attention. "Nothing, nothing- it's all good."

"You look like you could have used that extra hour of sleep." Spencer noted. 

Derek smiled. "I definitely could have, kid." he said as JJ and Dave entered. 

JJ clicked a button on the remote, bringing a picture of a pretty young girl up on the screen. "Local girl, Abbey Kelton, 19, left her parent's home to go to the local Junior College. She never came home. Three days later, joggers found her- part of her in a nearby park." She switched to another photo of the woman's body. Everything below her waist was gone and so were her fingers. 

"Do I even want to know what did that to her?" Emily asked. 

"Bridgewater's off of I-75. Which is often referred to as alligator alley. For...reasons that are now apparent. Her entire lower body had been eaten." She explained. 

"Ah, the circle of life." Rossi mused. 

Emily grimaced, "Suddenly I don't feel so guilty about my alligator wallet."

"Alligators didn't cut off her fingers, slit her throat, or carve this into her chest." Aaron said, passing a photo to the middle of the table where Derek picked it up. 

"An inverted pentagram."

"Locals believe the killing was committed by a satanic cult." JJ said.

"Some things never change." Dave sighed. 

"Killer satanic cults don't exist." Emily said, looking at him. "They were debunked as a suburban myth." 

Dave countered by looking at her interested and nodding. "What?" She asked, feeling uncomfortable under his gaze.

"Rossi is the one that debunked them." Spencer explained with a smile that even Hotch mirrored. "Oh, right." Emily said, clearly embarrassed. "Thanks."

"Cult or not." David said, looking at the photos again. "The killing was ritualized. This will turn serial if it hasn't already."

"So killer satanic cults don't exist, but satanic serial killers do?" JJ asked. 

"Lasciate ogni speranza ch-entrate." David said before standing and leaving the room. Several confused faces followed his movements out the door. 

"Oh, thanks for clearing that up." JJ said sarcastically, making Olivia laugh. 

"Uh, it's from Dante's Inferno." Spencer explained. "'Abandon hope, all ye who enter here'."

"So that was a yes." 

"A big yes." Hotch agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my head, Spencer is always grumpy when his beauty sleep is interrupted. Cause who is going to fight me on that level of adorable?!
> 
> p.s. As my valentines gift to you all...expect more chapters today!


	15. Lucky pt.2

Back on the jet, Rossi was still back on his theory. "We never found any evidence of a killer satanic cult. In reality, there are only two types of violent satanic criminals."

"Uh, type one- teen Satanists, they assume the satanic identity to rebel. Minor crimes, theft and vandalism to churches, schools, symbols of authority. When combined with drugs and alcohol, they may turn violent." Spencer spouted off to the group. 

"Yes, and in extreme cases, deadly." Rossi agreed. "That was out of my book, word for word." He said, looking over at the man, confused and impressed. 

"Oh trust us- we know." Derek said, a number of smiles broke out in the plane at that. "Prentiss- if you wouldn't mind..." 

Emily reached up and ruffled Spencer's hair, causing the man to sputter and lean away in an effort to fix it. 

"Thank you." Derek said, nodding. 

"Okay, so. That's one type." Olivia said, turning to Rossi, "What's type two?"

"The adaptive Satanist is the one you have to worry about." He explained. "The typical serial killer rationalizing his fantasies by blaming them on outside forces."

"Like Satan?" JJ said skeptically. 

"Yes. He adapts satanic beliefs to fit his specific homicidal drives. He doesn't kill because he believes in Satan. He believes in Satan because he kills. 

"Well, let's hope it's the teenagers." Hotch said, looking over his file. "Whether you're religious or not, the presence of Satanic elements can effect even the most experienced investigators. And we're not immune so, keep an eye on the locals and keep an eye on each other." 

JJ nodded, "Hey, I hear ya. I saw the exorcist."

"Amen." Olivia agreed, looking up at the group. "No pun intended."

"My mother took us to church every Sunday until I moved out." Derek said, "This whole devil thing doesn't spook me at all."

"Maybe that's because you never truly bought the God part either." Spencer said, speaking up. The whole plane went silent at the look Derek gave him. "No offence kid, but you don't know what I believe."

"Well, I mean. Logic dictates that if you believe in the one, you have to reconcile the existence of the other." Spencer explained. 

Hotch took the awkward pause to step in. "People's reaction to Satan is what gives it appeal to these offenders." he said, steering the conversation back. "It has power. And it would be a mistake to underestimate it."

Back at the police station the team laid out everything they learned from the parents, the priest and the medical examiner. 

"There's no evidence that any of the local kids were into devil worship or the occult." Derek sighed, waving his cup of coffee in the air as he spoke. 

"No, this is definitely not just teenagers now." Emily agreed. "It's a serial killer. And considering what he did with her fingers, a sadistic one."

"That I wouldn't say just yet." Rossi noted, making Olivia look at him, eyebrows raised. 

"He cut off her fingers...and he made her eat them, Dave." She said firmly. 

He shook his head, "If it was sadistic, it's the only sign of sadism present in the crime." 

Olivia took a moment, thinking it over in her head and then nodded. "If he was purely a sadist there would have been more signs of torture." She agreed. 

"The fingers are a message." Dave sighed. 

"What the hell's the message?" Derek asked sarcastically.

"She's not my first." Aaron said, entering the room. 

"Sorry?" Spencer asked. 

"None of the fingers found in Abbey Kelton's stomach were hers, and six of them were index fingers." He explained. 

Olivia covered her face in her hands, rubbing her eyes. "Oh god." She groaned. 

"I'm sorry- he fed her someone else's fingers?" Emily said, amazed and disgusted. 

"At least three other people's." Spencer concluded. 

"Jesus." Derek said, putting his mug down on the counter and leaning against it. "This is one sick dude." He said as his cell rang. 

"Hey, what you got for me, girl?" He asked answering it. "You're on speaker."

"I just sent you ten separate Id's belonging to the ten fingers found in Abbey Kelton's stomach. No two fingers belong to the same woman." Penelope said.

"Well this just keeps getting worse and worse." Emily murmured. 

"Ten? And you identified them already?" Hotch asked.

"Yes, sir. Forty plus prostitution arrests made it easy. They worked truck stops and rest areas in the counties surrounding Bridgewater." 

"Well the unsub knows the area well." Derek said. 

"Clearly, gotta go, bye." Garcia said, cutting him off. The team looked around at each other, surprised by her tone. Derek took the phone off speaker and walked out of the room. "Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa."

"Trouble in paradise?" Rossi asked.

JJ shrugged, "No idea." 

A few moments later he walked back in the room with a confused and guilty expression on his face. 

"Everything okay?" Emily asked carefully. 

"Uh, yeah. Uh, what's our next move?" He asked, changing the subject. 

"JJ set up the briefing for the morning. Liv and Spencer- you'll call the families, Emily and Morgan you'll be briefing the locals. For now, get some sleep. It's been a...rough day."

***

They were packing up their things for the night when Spencer overheard a conversation between two of the officers in the bullpen. One of them was rattling on about how he was going to sit by his daughter's bedside all night after looking at those crime scene photos. 

"I believe that." The other officer said. "I'm going to see the girlfriend."

The first man chuckled patting him on the back. "Just make sure you use protection, or else before you know it, you'll end up with three like me." 

Protection. 

His face went white as a sheet and he felt immediate panic creep up his spine. 

Spencer found her gaze from across the room, his expression catching her off guard. Olivia made her way over to him and he took her wrist, tugging her down an empty hallway where they couldn't be heard. 

"Spencer, what's wrong?" 

"I didn't think about it until he said it..." He rambled on, his voice wavering.

"About what? What are you talking about?" Olivia asked.

"Protection. The other day. The last time we...we didn't use any." He explained, meeting her eyes. "I didn't..."

Understanding flashed across her eyes and she smiled, taking his hand. "Oh it's okay- Spencer, I have an IUD." 

"What?" He said, his IQ having a hard time catching up with the pit of panic and guilt in his stomach. 

Olivia nodded, "I would have said something otherwise- trust me. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I didn't even think of it. But- we're okay. "

"You're sure?" He asked, relief slowly bringing him back to reality. 

"I promise. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you worry like this."

Spencer sighed, leaning into her. "I just- I though I had been so careless."

"You weren't. Like I said, I-I would have said something." She smiled, reassuring him. 

"You're 100% sure?" 

Olivia smiled. "Do you want me to pee on a stick?" She asked, seriously. 

"No, I just. It caught me off guard." He explained, his expression still warry. 

"I will anyway." She said, reaching out to touch his cheek. "Because I know your mind won't stop until it has an answer."

Spencer chuckled, reaching for her hand and kissing her wrist. "Do you want me to come with you?" He asked. 

"I'm okay." She assured him. 

But his expression was set in stone. "I'm going to anyway." he said firmly. 

Olivia smiled. "Alright."

They made their way back to the group, "Hey Hotch, you mind if I steal an SUV? I have to run an errand." 

"Sure." He said, handing her the keys. 

"Uh, Reid will have to go with you." Derek pointed out. "We're out of room."

"That's okay." Spencer said, putting his hands in his pockets. "We'll stick to the buddy system." 

"Buddy system?" Aaron echoed unconvincingly. 

Olivia snorted and hiked her bag over her shoulder. "I'll get him back in one piece, dad." She said sarcastically, heading for the other vehicle. 

Once they were safely in the vehicle and watched as Derek pulled the other SUV away from the curb, she turned to him. "You're a terrible liar." She smiled. 

He laughed, "I know- that was so bad." He said, rubbing at his eyes. 

"Okay, let's go." She smirked, backing out of the stall. She followed the signs to a small shopping area and pulled up in front of the drugstore there. Olivia grabbed her wallet out of her go bag and stepped out of the vehicle, Spencer right behind her. 

"You can wait in the car." She told him. "I'll only be a second." 

He took her hand and placed a kiss at her wrist. "I told you I was coming with you." He said, opening the door for her. 

She smiled, and nodded. "Okay." She said, heading inside. She quickly found the aisle she needed and grabbed a test off the shelf, taking it up to the register where a young woman who didn't look any older than 18 stood on the other side. 

"Is that everything?" She asked, her eyebrows raised slightly as she scanned the box and placed it in a bag. 

"Yes, that's it." Olivia answered and handed her the cash. 

"Have a nice day." The woman said, handing her the bag. 

"Thank you." She replied, taking the bag and heading out the door with Spencer beside her. 

When they climbed back into the vehicle Spencer took the box from the bag and began reading. 

"What are you doing?" She asked, watching him from the corner of her eye as she drove back to the hotel. 

"Educating myself." He said simply. 

"You've never seen a pregnancy test before?" She asked. "It's really not that exciting. It's a stick with a litmus strip, you pee, you wait." 

He looked over at her. "Have you done one before?" He asked. 

"Uh...yeah. Once." She said, keeping her eyes on the road as she pulled into a parking stall.

Back in her room, Olivia dumped her bag at the foot of the bed. Spencer followed, toeing off his shoes before climbing on the bed and sitting himself in the middle of it. He reached into the plastic bag again and opened it as Olivia changed into comfier clothes. Her usual hoodie was a given, and she pulled on a pair of black leggings that seemed to draw his attention to her legs every time she wore them. 

This time, however, he didn't notice. Spencer had already pulled out the long instruction and warnings slip from inside the box and was reading it carefully. "I told you it wasn't very interesting." She said, picking up the box and pulling the little stick out before walking away into the bathroom. 

He stayed quiet on his side of the room, waiting for her to come back out. After a moment he heard the water running and the squeak of the towel holder before she emerged. "Two minutes." She said, taking a seat beside him on the bed. 

He nodded, reaching out for her hand, his thumb traced little patterns across the top of it as they waited. "Will you tell me? About...the other time?" He asked quietly. 

Olivia's eyebrows rose in surprise at that request. 

"I um... I know you were engaged before. I heard you and Hotch that day on the plane- I'm assuming..."

She nodded. "Yeah, yeah that was it. Um...we were a few months away from the wedding and my maid of honour found out she was pregnant. With his baby." She said with a sigh. Spencer's hold on her hand tightened in comfort.

"Obviously I called everything off, kicked him out of the house. My house. But then a few weeks later I felt sick, missed a period. Was...scared out of my mind. I took a test, it came back negative. Went to my doctor, did a blood test, also negative. Thank god." She chuckled. "I can't imagine what I would have done if..."She trailed off, meeting his eyes again. "Anyway. That was...the other time."

The alarm on her phone sounded from the bathroom and she climbed off the bed. Spencer watched as she made her way there, picked up the stick and walked back. She sat back down beside him and placed it face up between them. 

"Just...one line." She said simply. "Negative." 

Spencer nodded, looking down at their hands for a long moment. Was it wrong that he almost felt a hint of...disappointment? 

"I want to make it...very clear." He said finally. "I didn't freak out because I didn't want... I wouldn't have ran, you know? I just didn't want you to feel like I had...trapped you."

Olivia looked up at him, tears were staring to well up in her eyes and there was a lump in her throat. This man. This one in a million man. Anyone else would have freaked out just for themselves, but he was scared for her, worried for her. He wanted to make sure she was safe. Even after knowing everything that he knew about her. God- she loved him. 

"I...I don't know why I'm getting emotional." She finished finally, covering up what she really wanted to say. "All this...you... plus it's been such a long day."

"Me?" He asked. Of course he would pick up on that part. 

"Yes, you. You're kind of perfect right now." She laughed, wiping her eyes. "It's incredibly difficult to keep up with."

Spencer smiled, reaching out with both hands to wipe away the tears that were leaking out from the corners of her eyes. "Does it work in my favour if I say you're incredibly beautiful right now?" 

Olivia laughed. "I'm crying." She protested, his hands still framing her face. 

He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Not to me." He said, leaning forward to kiss her gently. 

She pulled back afterwards, looking into his eyes. "Will you stay tonight?" 

Spencer smiled. "It was never my intention to leave."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So........... what do you think? Like I said, I'm releasing a number of chapters today in the spirit of the sham of commercialization that is valentines day. But this is my gift to you!
> 
> P.s> How much do we hate Olivia's ex?


	16. Lucky pt.3

The next morning the team found themselves at a brand new crime scene. Hotch and Rossi had delivered the profile minutes before finding out the news of a new woman's disappearance. Now they were being swarmed with members of the community who had come together to form a search party in the park. 

They had set up tables for volunteers to sign it, as JJ had put it- hopefully this could create a good suspect list for them later. They knew the unsub was going to insert himself into the investigation someway or another. 

"Please have your Identification out and ready for the sign-in!" Emily called out to the group as they began to form a line in front of them. "You really think this is going to work?" she asked, leaning over to Olivia who was at her side. 

"What choice do we have?" 

"As soon as you've signed in, please move towards the staging area and officers will instruct you on search procedure." JJ said as she joined them under the tent. "God it's muggy out here." She complained, wiping her neck. 

"Here." Olivia said, handing her one of the water bottles that had been set up for volunteers to take. 

"Oh, thank you." JJ replied, immediately opening it and taking a long sip. 

Spencer joined them and watched as Derek moved through the crowd supervising and answering questions, but his eyes never left the priest who also stood, helping the volunteers. "What's up with Morgan?"

JJ looked up and saw what he meant. "Oh, he's not the Father's biggest fan." She said quietly. 

"Really, why?" Reid asked turning to her. But JJ just shook her head. "No idea."

"What is that smell?" Olivia asked, looking around. 

Emily pointed over to one of the tents. "One of the locals is making chili for the volunteers."

Olivia make a face. "Mmm. I'll pass."

"You don't like chili?" JJ smirked, taking another sip of her bottle. 

"Something just smells...off. I've got a few granola bars stashed in the SUV that will last me- thank you."

Spencer gestured between the group with his hands. "See, this? This is why I don't do group food."

They spent the next few hours canvasing the park with the locals until dark when a radio call went out. One of the volunteers was missing. 

***

They didn't get a chance at much rest that night. They spent half of it searching the park for their first victim and the other searching for their new one. In the early hours of the morning Hotch send everyone back to the hotel for a shower and a few hours sleep. 

"Just let me grab some things." Spencer whispered to Olivia as they followed behind the rest of their team. She nodded, her finger brushing against his before stopping at her door. They all said goodnight and went their separate ways. 

She tossed her bag onto the bed, taking a second to open it and remove the essentials she needed. She sat down, toeing off her shoes and stripping out of her sweaty clothes. She tossed them aside into a laundry bag and set out a new outfit for the morning. For later. She corrected herself, before heading to the bathroom and starting the water in the shower. 

She heard a soft knock on her door and slipped into one of the hotel robes before answering it. "That was fast." She said, walking back to the bathroom. 

"I was a man on a mission." Spencer replied, closing the door behind him and undressing himself. He followed her into the space and took a second to watch her shadow against the shower curtain. She had her hands resting against the wall, letting the water run down her back. 

He quietly pulled the curtain back and stepped in behind her. "Sore?" He asked, running his hands over her shoulders. 

She stood up, turning to face him. "Mostly just tired." She said, running her hands around his waist and resting her head on his chest. 

Spencer smiled, wrapping his arms around her and gently kissing her forehead. "As much as I'd like to stay like this, we need some sleep." He said softly. 

Olivia nodded, sighing and pulling away. "You're right." She reached for a small bottle of body wash and pouring out a generous amount while Spencer washed his hair. She made quick work of washing herself and then stepped out while he was finishing up. Olivia wrapped herself up in a thick towel and pulled her wet hair in to a long braid down her back. She slathered some cream on her arms and legs as Spencer stepped out, reaching for his toothbrush. 

They stood there for a few minutes, each finishing their routine. It felt normal, it felt...domestic. Olivia smiled, watching him in the reflection of the mirror. "What?" He asked wiping the leftover toothpaste off his mouth with a towel. 

"This is nice." She replied simply, watching as a warm smile crossed his features. He wrapped his arms around her again, their eyes meeting in their reflections. 

"It is." He agreed, placing a kiss on her cheek. "Come to bed." He said, taking her hand. 

"Gladly."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I giving you all enough today? It's already 8pm in my time zone... but should I post another...
> 
> What do we think?


	17. Lucky pt.4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I may have fallen asleep before I could post another chapter last night. My bad. I'll just combine both of the chapters into one long one for you instead, and you'll send all the comments in return. Deal?

Olivia and Emily stood side by side at the coffee machine when Morgan walked up. "How's it going with Father Marks?" Emily asked, "Any of the volunteers jump out at him?"

Derek sighed, shaking his head, "Not yet." He replied as her phone rang. 

"Garcia?" Emily asked, confused why she was calling her, the look on Olivia's face showed that she was confused as well. 

Emily stepped away and Olivia studied the man carefully. "Why isn't your 'baby girl' calling you first thing in the morning instead?" She asked

Derek shook his head again. "It's...a whole thing." He sighed. 

"Okay." Olivia said, dropping the subject as she took a sip from her cup. 

Emily came back a few moments later. "Right. Got it." She said before hanging up, giving Derek a look. 

"What?" The man asked. 

"When a woman tells a man about her feelings. She doesn't want him to fix her. She wants him to shut up and listen." She said pointedly before walking away. 

Olivia raised her eyebrows at the exchange and quietly stepped away, following Emily. "What was that about?" She asked, catching up to her in the conference room. 

Emily looked around and made sure no one could hear them. "Apparently this super cute guy asked her out this morning at the coffee shop and Derek went all jealous, big brother on her. Told her the guy was bad news...just because." 

Olivia groaned and leaned back in her chair. "Why are men like that?" She sighed. 

"Exactly." Emily said, picking up a nearby file and diving in. 

An hour later they got the call that Derek had been the one to find the next body. Left in Father Marks' church. 

"Just sitting there, on a pew?" Olivia asked as Aaron nodded on the line. "Yup. We're still at the coroner's office but Emily just got an ID, Maria Lopes, 34. She was reported missing nine months ago."

"She's been dead 72 hours." The Coroner said over the speakerphone. "And I can say with certainty there was no sexual assault." He confirmed. 

"Why would he keep her alive for nine months and then kill her three days ago?" Spencer asked out loud. 

Rossi sighed and leaned back in his chair. "This guy just isn't giving us anything."

"Hold on." Hotch's voice came through again. "Dr. Faulton, can you check the tissue to see if the cells have burst?"

"You think she was frozen?" The medical examiner asked. 

JJ looked over at Olivia with a confused expression on her face at that. 

"Why?" Emily asked. 

"Because I think he's eating them."

They arrived back at the conference room where the team was going over the case again. "Dr. Faulton confirmed it," Emily said, walking back into the room. "Maria Lopez was frozen shortly after her death."

"Well that explains why we haven't been able to find the other victim." Derek pointed out as she sat down beside him. 

"How did you get to cannibalism?" JJ asked hesitantly.

Hotch looked at her. "He didn't take them for sex and he took their legs." He explained. "He tried to tell us by feeding the fingers to Abbey Kelton. The fingers were a message. 'I've killed before' was only part of it. 'I'm eating them' was the other."

"Ew." Olivia mumbled. 

"Cannibalism. The ultimate taboo." Rossi sighed, "That explains his drive to blame his appetite on an outside force."

JJ shook her head, "I'm with Liv. Why would anyone want to eat human flesh?"

"It's like a sexual urge. The cross-wiring of the two most basic human drives. Sustenance and sex." Spencer explained. 

"It all fits." Derek sighed as Emily's phone rang again. She looked down at the screen. "Hey, Garcia, I'm putting you on speaker." she said, placing the phone down on the table. 

"So, I can't find any patients in Florida who have the charming cocktail of being both a Satanist and a cannibal. However, Hazelwood mental institution is the place to go when looking for Florida's most dangerous kinds of wackos, and they had a fire in 1998 that destroyed all of their records."

"How far away is Hazelwood?" Hotch asked. 

"70 miles." Spencer replied. 

"JJ- tell them we're on our way. Uh, Reid?" Aaron asked standing. The doctor placed his things down on the chair. "Let's do it." He replied, following their boss.

Once they left the room, Olivia turned to the others and placed both her hands flat on the table. "Just once. Once. Can we not have a case that is so goddamn creepy?" Olivia asked. 

Derek chuckled and leaned back in his seat. "Girl, I feel you." 

"Thank you." She said, gesturing towards him before standing. "On that note- who needs coffee?" She asked, smirking when every hand in the room shot up. 

***

Floyd Feylinn Ferrel. 

The rest of the team pulled up the house and immediately began their pursuits. Derek and Rossi led the charge up to the front door with the rest following close behind in silence. No one said a word, and they didn't have to. They knew each others movements perfectly. 

Rossi tried the front door, when he felt the handle protest against the lock he looked over at Derek and shook his head. Morgan positioned himself in front of the door and shifted his weight back before launching it forward and kicking the wood off it's hinge. 

Once they were through the threshold they immediately began spreading out throughout the floor, clearing it meticulously and quickly. Derek and Emily made it to the kitchen where they found an assortment of cooking equipment, including a meat grinder and slicer taking over the small countertop. 

"It's clear." Emily called out when Olivia stopped. She could hear a soft rhythmic melody being played through the walls. 

"Hold on." She said quietly, getting Morgan's attention, who quickly gathered the rest. She retraced her steps and found a hidden door along the wall. She tried the doorknob and pulled it open slightly. "Basement." She announced, peering through the space and opening it further. 

The team followed, assembling themselves behind her as she slowly made her way down the steps, checking for any signs of their murderer. Morgan's weapon was positioned over her shoulder and directed the others while she covered them. He signalled for JJ and the detective to check one door, Emily and Rossi the other. 

They waited while each of the teams cleared the room. They heard the sounds of another voice confirming that Cheryll Timmons had been found. JJ emerged from the other room. "Tracy lambert?" Rossi asked. 

The woman shook her head. "She's not here." 

Derek looked over at Olivia and gave her the nod. She mirrored the gesture, her finger poised on the trigger of her weapon. Derek shoved the door open and she was right on his hip, covering him. 

"FBI. Don't move." He said loudly at the man whose back was facing them. He sat in a short stool in this tiny room. The walls were covered in writings and drawings clearly written in blood. He wore nothing except his underwear. 

"Put your hands where I can see them." Derek instructed, but the man did not move. 

"I've got him." Olivia said as Rossi entered the space behind her. Derek holstered his weapon and moved forward to handcuff the man. Dave stepped in to held him haul him to his feet and out the door.

***

"God is in all of us."

"So is Tracy Lambert."

Olivia had to try her hardest not to throw up at that once the realization came over all of them. The realities of what they just heard. She had turned away from the one-way glass, where she could hear the scuffle that ensued with Father Marks. 

Back on the jet she sat with Spencer and JJ in the back of the plane. She wrapped her arms over her middle and leaned her head away from them, closing her eyes tight. 

"Hey." JJ said gently, reaching across the table to place her hands on Olivia's arm. "Liv, you okay?" She asked, Immediately capturing Spencer's attention too as he turned to her. 

Olivia opened her eyes and looked over at JJ. "I can still smell it." She whispered, a cringe on her face. 

Spencer smiled softly, "You know scent cells in the average person are renewed every 30 to 60 days?" He asked them. 

The woman looked over at him semi-horrified. "So I'm going to be smelling human chili for at least a month, is what you're saying." 

"No- well yes, I am saying that- but also. You won't smell it forever." He amended. 

"I don't think that's helping, Spence." JJ said quietly. 

Olivia groaned, "I now understand why Garcia is a vegetarian."

Once they arrived at Olivia's apartment she kicked her shoes off by the door and Immediately headed to her kitchen. She shrugged her go-bag off of her shoulder and onto the floor. Spencer watched, amused as she began fiddling with mugs and kettles in her still-flustered state. 

He walked up behind her and placed his arms around her waist, stilling her movements. "I've got it." He whispered, placing a kiss on her cheek. 

Olivia smiled, running her hands over his arms and leaning back into him. "Thanks."

"Go sit." He instructed as he took over. Olivia sat on one of her bar stools on the other side of the counter and watched him work. He filled the kettle with water and plugged it into the wall, waiting for it to boil. Next she watched as he rolled up his sleeves and set aside the two mugs. Instead, he reached across the counter and took her hands in his, placing gentle kissed on top. 

Olivia smiled looking over at him. "I've been meaning to tell you something over the past few days." He said, his cheeks flushing slightly as he looked down at their hands. 

"What is it?" 

Spencer cleared his throat and couldn't quite meet her eyes. Olivia smiled and squeezed his fingers gently. "Spencer?" She asked. 

He opened his mouth to speak and was immediately interrupted by his cell phone ringing. "Hold that thought." He mumbled, reaching into his back pocket and retrieving his cell. He looked at the caller ID and his eyebrows crinkled in confusion before he answered it. 

"JJ?" He looked over at Olivia, shock clearly written all over his face as he listened to the woman on the other end. Immediately she knew something was wrong. Olivia slid off the chair and made her way around the counter to him, taking his hand again and waiting. 

"We're on our way." He said before hanging up, after realizing his mistake he corrected himself. "I'm on my way, damnit." He mumbled. 

"Spencer." Olivia said, gaining his attention once again. He looked down at her, his mind catching up to what he'd just heard. "Garcia's in the hospital. She's been shot."

Olivia brought her free hand up to cover her mouth. "Penelope..." She whispered. She barely had time to process it before Spencer was moving around her apartment grabbing what they needed. 

He slipped his holster back onto his belt and stuck his badge into his back pocket. He reached down and unzipped Olivia's go-bag, grabbing her sweater and handing it to her. "Take that." He instructed, grabbing her car keys off the counter. 

She snapped out of her daze and followed his actions, tucking her own badge into her pocket. They made their way out the door again and into the elevator. "Did JJ say anything else?" Olivia asked quietly. 

Spencer shook his head, reaching for her hand. "No."


	18. Penelope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone else holding their breath? I love this episode! 
> 
> I've got a surprise for you!

They practically ran through the emergency room doors searching for JJ. Olivia made her way up to the nurse's station to try and get any information. 

"Liv." Spencer interrupted. When she looked over she saw what he was looking at. JJ had spotted them, and was already on her feet waiting in a quiet corner with no one else around. She looked tired and scared. 

"She's in surgery." She said as they approached. "There's no word." 

"This is crazy." Spencer sighed as Olivia reached out and pulled JJ into a hug. She looked behind the woman and saw Hotch pacing in the back of the waiting area. When he neared them, she reached out and placed a comforting hand on his arm. 

Rossi and Emily showed up not long after. "What do we know?" He asked. 

Hotch turned to him, "Police think it was a botched robbery." He explained. 

Emily looked around. "Where's Morgan?"

"He's not answering his cell." JJ sighed. 

Reid pulled his phone from his pocket. "I'll try calling him again." He said, walking away a few steps. 

"What aren't you saying?" Rossi asked Hotch. The man sighed, "I spoke to one of the paramedics that brought her in." He explained. "It doesn't look good."

Emily purposefully turned her head away after hearing that. "Let's just...sit and wait." She said, trying to calm the rest. 

JJ shook her head. "I'm going to see if they'll give me any more information." She said before walking away. 

Olivia looked over at Emily and nodded. They sat down in the uncomfortable hospital chairs, leaving one open between them for JJ. After a few moments they heard her heels clicking against the floor. "They won't tell me anything." She said in a frustrated huff as she sat in the open seat. 

"Morgan's phone just keeps going straight to voicemail." Spencer announced when he came back. 

"Where the hell is he?" Emily asked. 

The only thing they could do was wait. And that's exactly what they did. Eventually Rossi and Spencer sat opposite the women but Aaron never ceased his pacing. 

They huddled together. Their family. And waited impatiently for the news of...anything. Spencer couldn't help but watch Olivia. She and Emily both held on to JJ's hands as the three of them sought their strength from each other. He knew she was exhausted, but here she was, once again, supporting and looking after everyone else. She was scared. 

They all watched as the hours ticked by slowly. The hands on the clock seemed to move an eternity at a time. Olivia's impatience mixed with her anxiety was starting to get the better of her. Her eyes kept scanning the halls around them, watching for any movement of hospital staff coming to bring them news. 

She even tried pulling out her phone and calling Derek again. And again. And again. She knew Penelope was going to want him here when she woke up. If she woke up. 

Eventually Olivia stood. "I'm going to get some air." She mumbled, moving down the hall and towards the large glass doors. Once she started walking, she found that she couldn't stop. It was all just too crowded. But she could also feel the anxiety attack that was coming. Her heart began to race and she could feel the pressure if it on her chest. Desperately she looked around and found an empty space of wall nearby that was protected by a few large trees. 

She pressed her hands against the cool brick and leaned into it, too focused on trying to breath that she didn't hear her name being called. 

"Liv. Liv." Spencer said, gently reaching out to place his hand on her shoulder. She jumped back, her instincts getting the better of her, trying to protect herself from an unwanted attack. She roughly swiped the hand away from her and took two defensive steps backwards before she met his eyes. 

"Spencer." She gasped, dropping her hands at her sides. 

"It's me." He said, coming forwards to wrap his arms around her protectively. "It's just me." He repeated gently, rubbing his hands over her back. 

She clung to him. Her hands fisting into his sweater, holding onto him desperately. "Just breathe." He soothed, never moving away. 

"Why isn't he answering his phone?" She whispered quietly into his shoulder. 

Spencer shook his head. "I don't know. But he'll be here." He assured her. 

"He needs to be here. So she can wake up. She'll do anything for him, and if he's here, she'll...she'll wake up." She said softly. "She'll be okay."

Before he could respond to that she pulled back, just enough to look him in the eye. "Promise me you'll always answer your phone. Please."

Spencer raised one hand up to brush away the tears that had fallen down her cheek. He gave her a small smile. "I promise." 

That seemed to calm her, she let out a long, even breath. "Good. Because I can't keep doing this. Losing it. This is twice now and I..."

"Twice?" Spencer asked curiously. And his question immediately cause her to blush in embarrassment. She looked down at his chest for a moment, gently picking at the loose threads of his sweater. "When you died." She said softly. 

"I lost my mind." She admitted, refusing to meet his eyes. "Only JJ knows, she's the one that found me. But I- you died. I mean two days ago we were taking a pregnancy test and then that case and now..." She said, another tear falling. 

Spencer felt his heart stop. For a moment, nothing else in the world existed except this woman. This woman that he had no business loving, this woman that he did not deserve, this woman that cared so much about him. He gently placed his hand under her chin, tilting her head just enough for her to meet his eyes. 

"I love you." He blurted out. All other plans of his had gone out the window. "I have been trying to find a way to tell you now for...weeks. But it just...wasn't right. I'm not waiting anymore. I can't."

Olivia didn't hear anything he said after those first three words. "You..." She breathed, her words getting caught in the vapour of the cool night as they struggled to leave her lips. "You... love me?"

Spencer smiled and cupped her face in his warm hands. "Was there every any doubt?" He asked. Olivia felt the corners of her lips curling upwards into a smile as she shook her head. "It could be any one of us on any given day." He said seriously. "So I'm telling you right now. I love you, Olivia."

Her arms wrapped around him, pulling his body towards her as their lips met. This kiss was different. It was filled with...more. It was hope and happiness and fear and sorrow and trust. 

Suddenly Olivia pulled them apart. Her hands wrapped around his wrists as they held her. "I love you." She whispered back against his lips. Spencer wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back into his embrace. A smile on his lips as they connected again. Their kiss lasted only a moment, but it meant everything.

They gently pulled away and Spencer sighed, content. He rested his forehead against hers and held her tightly to him. "I told them I was coming out to check on you." He said softly, pressing his lips against her hair. 

Olivia nodded, understanding. "We should go back." She agreed, wiping at her eyes. She looked up at him. "Am I a mess?" She asked, doing her best to hid any evidence of her breakdown. 

Spencer shook his head and smiled, his hands coming back up to caress her cheek. "You're perfect." He said, reaching for her hand and placing a kiss on top. 

Olivia couldn't help but laugh. "Too cheesy?" He asked, making a face. She shook her head and laced their fingers together. "Never." 

They made their way back inside and took their seats again. Olivia was pointedly ignoring Aaron's eyes as he watched her. 

After another half an hour, they heard the sounds of footsteps rushing towards them. JJ looked up, "Derek." She said as soon as she had view of him. She stood, taking in his worried expression as he looked around at the group. "She's been in surgery a couple hours."

Derek rubbed his hands over his face, "I was in church- my phone was off." He said helplessly. 

Spencer looked up at him from his seat. "There's nothing you could have been doing here." 

"The police got any leads?" He asked desperately, looking over at Hotch. 

"I spoke to the lead detective. He doesn't think we'll get anything from the scene." Aaron's explanation was cut off by a door opening nearby. They all turned and watched as a doctor with blue scrubs approached them with a file in his hands. 

"Penelope Garcia?" He asked, and the rest stood. Olivia reached out and took Spencer's hand instantly, squeezing tightly. 

"Yes." JJ answered, stepping forward. 

The doctor cleared his throat. "The bullet went in her chest and ricocheted into her abdomen. She lost a lot of blood. It was touch-and-go there for a while, but we were able to repair the injuries."

"So what are you saying?" JJ asked. 

"One centimeter over and it would have torn right through her heart. Instead, she could actually walk out of here in a couple of days." He said with a smile. 

The tension in the room dissipated in that second. Everyone let out the breath they were collectively holding. "I'd say that's a minor miracle." He concluded. "She needs her rest. You can see her in the morning."

Olivia looked over at Spencer, a smile wide across her face in relief. He mirrored her expression and quickly dropped her hand as Hotch turned around, his face still hard and unyielding. "Dave and I will go to the scene. I think the rest of you should be here when she wakes up. I don't care about protocol. I don't care whether we're working this officially or not. We don't touch any new cases until we find out who did this." 

The group nodded their approval. Before he moved away he looked over at Olivia and Spencer and gave them the nod to follow him. They did, and once they were at least a corridor away he turned to them. "Anything you want to tell me?" He asked plainly. 

"About what?" Olivia asked, confused. 

Hotch tilted his head to the side in a knowing look and sighed. "I've known you too long, don't play dumb, Liv." He said, his eyes darting between her and Reid. 

As understanding washed over her, her face erupted in a deep blush. "Look-"

Aaron shook his head. "Don't make excuses. I don't want to hear them." He said, but then he smiled. The small half-smile that Olivia had seen countless times before. "You work with some of the world's best profilers. At least try to be subtle." He smirked before walking away. 

Olivia waited until she heard his footsteps fade away before chuckling. She looked over at Spencer's face who was shell-shocked. "Wh-what just happened?" He asked. 

She smiled and took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "He knows." She shrugged. 

Spencer looked down at her in wonder. "I genuinely thought he was going to read us the riot act."

She smiled up at him and leaned back against the wall, letting out a breath. "We're not doing anything wrong. Besides- tonight isn't the night for that." She said seriously. 

"No it's not." He said, snapping back onto the reality of what they were doing there. "Let's go wait for her to wake up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAY!!!! we've been waiting for it! The slowest of the slow burns!
> 
> Also, can we get an adorable smile for big brother Aaron?!


	19. Penelope pt.2

A few hours later, the nurse came by to greet them. "She's awake." She said with a smile before leading them to Penelope's room. Her eyes were closed but they could see her breathing. She was hooked up to several monitors and wearing a clean white hospital gown which was an alarming contrast to her usual bright and happy colour pallet. 

She opened her eyes and saw them shuffle through her door. JJ stepped right up beside her and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. "Hi. No tears. I'm afraid if I start crying I'll come unstapled." She said weakly as Derek came up to her on her other side. 

Olivia reached down and placed her hand in hers along the bed, giving her a gentle squeeze. 

"How are you feeling?" Derek asked softly.

"Oh...confused...stupid, and ...in pain." She answered. 

"Are you up for some questions?" JJ asked. 

Penelope shook her head. "I never saw it coming." She said quietly. "He seemed...deliciously normal."

"You know him?" Spencer asked. 

She looked back up at Derek. "You were right. I should have trusted it." 

He was just as confused as the rest, "What are you talking about?" 

"It's that guy I told you about. The one I met at the coffee shop. I wanted to believe he was interested in me."

"Forget that." Derek said gently. 

But she continued, "I let my guard down."

"Do you have any idea why he would have done this?" Emily asked. "Did he threaten you? Did he want something?" 

"I just thought he liked me." Penelope said, irritated. 

JJ could see her struggling. "Okay, um...we're gonna- we're gonna come back in a little while." She said soothingly. 

"We need a name." Emily pushed. 

Penelope looked over at her. "James Colby Baylor." 

***

That name had been run through every database and the team came up empty. Even with Hotch and Rossi at the scene their initial assessment came up just as disappointing as the on-scene detective's had. No new leads. The only silver lining was the fact that Penelope was going to be moved out of the ICU and into a regular room first thing in the morning. 

In the end she had told them all to go home and sleep because she was more exhausted by their hovering than the bullet wound. A comment that had not sat well with Morgan, who promised he would be at her bedside all night long. The rest of the team, finally relieved that she was going to be alright, headed back home. 

They walked back into Olivia's apartment, taking a look around the space. The two empty mugs were still waiting for them on the counter and the kettle filled with water that was once boiling hot, sat forgotten. "Still want that tea?" Spencer asked, taking a hold of her hand. 

Olivia chuckled, leaning into him. "Yeah, I do." 

He nodded, shrugging off his bag to place it on the floor and wandered into her kitchen to finish what he started many hours ago. 

She watched him for a moment before smiling and bending down to retrieve his bag. Carrying them both into her bedroom and leaving them by the door. She rummaged around in her closet for a pair of sweat pants and a new hoodie. Tossing her old clothes into the laundry basket. She changed quickly before opening one of the spare drawers she had cleared out for Spencer to use. She took out a pair of his sleep pants and a shirt for him and left them on the bed. 

Olivia turned at the sound of footsteps outside the door, smiling when she saw him enter the room, carefully balancing two mugs full of piping hot liquid and a handful of cookies between his hands. She smiled at his look of concentration as he tried not to spill anything, setting the items down on the side table. Olivia pulled back the covers and made herself comfortable, reaching out for one of the mugs. Spencer picked it up and placed it in her hands before leaning over and placing a sweet kiss on her lips. 

"Thank you." She whispered softly as he pulled away. Olivia watched as he stripped down out of his clothes and pulled on the sleep pants she had set out for him. Ignoring the shirt, he tossed it aside where he had folded the rest of his things and climbed into bed next to her. 

She snuggled up against him as he took his own cup off the table. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and held her close. "You alright?" He asked, brushing his lips over her forehead. Olivia nodded, taking a sip of her tea and letting the warm liquid fill her up. 

"I am." She said, more sure of herself now. "But I mean it. Always answer your phone." She said, looking up at him. Spencer nodded, staring deep into her eyes. "I know."

She smiled, unable to help herself. "I love you." Being able to say it just felt so good. 

Spencer chuckled, the sound originating deep in his chest that was pressed against her. "I love you."


	20. Penelope pt.3

The next morning Olivia came to Penelope's hospital room with a small bag of clothes and toiletries for her. She found Derek and Spencer in there with her as she tried to recall the details of the previous night. 

She stood in the doorway and listened, not wanting to interrupt. 

"So he was trying to impress you by showing you he can take charge." Derek summarized. 

"I guess so. He said, 'people can get away with murder for other people's incompetence'"

Spencer had a perplexed look on his face. "City attorneys don't try murder cases."

"What?" Penelope asked, shocked. 

"He knows enough to use legal terminology, but, he's not actually a working lawyer."

Derek sighed, "I think we're looking at someone who failed out of law school, or didn't pass the bar." 

Penelope was getting more and more agitated now. "What- but I didn't... How didn't I know that? I should have-"

"Hey." Olivia said, stepping into the room. "That's enough for now." She said gently, turning to the guys. "Why don't you go update everyone and I'll stay with Pen." She turned back to the woman with a smile. "I brought you some tea. And a few creature comforts."

Penelope simply nodded, her mind still elsewhere. 

Derek and Spencer stood, slowly walking past her. She reached out and placed her hand on Derek's shoulder, giving him a gentle squeeze before meeting Spencer's eyes. His soft smile brought her a warm sense of comfort. 

"Okay, here we go." She said, handing Garcia the warm takeout cup. "Hot chai, just how you like it." The woman gratefully took it, inhaling the relaxing spices before taking a sip. 

"Better?" Olivia asked gently. 

Penelope gave her a small smile. "A bit." 

"Good. Because there's more." Olivia smiled, taking a seat on the edge of her bed and hauling the bag up onto her lap. "I have this little gem." She said, pulling out a small stuffed unicorn that she found on Garcia's night table. 

"Oh!" She smiled happily, reaching out for it and giving it a squeeze. 

"And some comfy clothes, and this little lifesaver." Olivia smiled, pulling out her cosmetic bag. "You know you told me once, that everything in this bag, is all you'll ever need." She said cheekily, placing it on her lap. 

"And I was right." Penelope giggled. 

"Alright, alright." Olivia smirked, hopping off the bed to close the hospital door and pull the curtain around them, "Let's get changed before your chocolate thunder comes back. He's gonna see a whole new woman." She teased. 

When the boys did come back Penelope was looking much more like herself. She had a black and grey sweater on and Olivia had pulled her freshly showered blond hair into two braids on either side of her face. There was colour in her cheeks again and the two women were up on the bed together giggling away.

"Well damn. That looks like my baby girl right there." Derek smiled as he and Spencer came back into the room.

"You look much better." Spencer said approvingly as he spared a quick glance at Olivia. 

Penelope gave them both a wide smile. "It is all thanks to my lovely tzatziki over here." She giggled. 

Olivia scrunched her face up and let out a laugh. "Between the two of you," She said, pointing to Morgan, "You need to work on your material."

The analyst smiled up at her, "Okay, okay, what's next?" 

"Right. Um...lips." She said, taking in the woman's appearance. She turned her attention down to the bag on her lap and selected a buttery moisturizing balm with a hint of pink. "This one." She said, handing it over. 

As Penelope began applying it, there was a knock on the door and Hotch stepped in the room. "Hey." She said, putting the mirror down in her lap. 

"How are you feeling?" He asked. 

"You know, I've had better dates." She shrugged. 

Aaron took a few steps towards her. "We found an encrypted file on your computer." He said pointedly. "Are you involved in something that I need to know about?" 

The three other agents in the room shared a confused and worried glance between them. "No." Penelope said honestly. 

"Hotch, what's going on?" Derek asked, but the man ignored him. 

"Could this be connected in any way, to the man who shot you?" 

"I don't think so." 

"I need the password."

Garcia opened her mouth the reply, but Morgan beat her to it. "Is this really necessary?" He asked. 

For the first time, Hotch turned to him and met his eyes. "Yes."

"It's... Gilman Street." Penelope said from her spot on the bed. Aaron nodded, "Thank you."

"They don't honestly thing Garcia's a security risk, do they?" Spencer asked. 

Aaron shook his head, "I don't know. We've been ordered by internal affairs to stop working the case."

"What?" Olivia asked. 

"And...until this is cleared up...you've been suspended." Hotch said, turning back to Penelope. "I'm sorry." She seemed to shrink at that news. Olivia reached over and placed a hand over hers. As soon as Aaron was out the door Penelope pulled her hand from her grasp and began aggressively pulling the electrodes and monitors from her body. 

"What are you doing?" Spencer asked, as the machines around them began beeping in protest. 

"I need to get out of here." She murmured. 

"Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa-"  
"Penelope, stop." 

Derek and Olivia began stalling her movements, trying to get her to calm down. "Hey, baby. Listen to me- listen to me." Morgan said, placing both hands on her shoulders and pushing her back into the pillows. "We're gonna get it straightened out. I'm gonna find out who did this to you. Okay- I don't give a damn what I.A. Wants me to do or doesn't want me to do. But right now you need to rest."

Penelope continued to protest, "But one of the last things I said before he shot me was 'everything happens for a reason'. Derek if I lose faith in that, then nothing in my life makes sense."

He sighed, "I get that-"

"No you don't."

They were in the midst of a stare down when Olivia spoke up quietly. "So tell us. Lay it all out. You know better than anyone, that with the right information. With all the information, we always figure it out."

Penelope looked over at her, holding her gaze for a long moment before she sighed and nodded. "Help me up." 

She started to pace as soon as her feet were on the floor. It took a second, but then she started.

"After my parents died...I...kinda went off the rails for a while." She explained. "I dropped out of Cal Tech. I lived underground, basically. But I kept teaching myself code. It was like...the one thing that kept me together."

The other three agents listened silently, hanging on her every word. "I may have...hacked into the FBI. And a few other government agencies."

"So they offered you a job?" Spencer asked, impressed as she nodded. "It's like Frank Abagnale. The Bureau figured of you can't beat them...hire them."

"Yeah, something like that." Penelope shrugged. 

"Garcia what's on the encrypted file?" Derek asked. She met his eyes. 

"I'm required to keep record of everything the team does. And after my system got hacked and ...you got shot...I just didn't want anyone else to be able to get at you."

Olivia's eyebrows shot up into her hairline. "I'm sorry- what?" She asked, turning to Morgan. He shook his head at her. "It was a long time ago, barely anything."

Spencer sighed, "I'll talk to the doctor, see if he'll clear you to leave." He said before leaving the room. 

When he returned, he came armed with a nurse and a whole stack of release papers. Olivia packed up her bag while Derek helped her fill them out. Once they were done Olivia turned to them. 

"Are you two going to be alright? You don't need anything else?" She asked Penelope. 

The woman smiled and shook her head. "I'll be okay with the super agent. Go home. Get some sleep." She said, pulling Olivia into a tight hug. "Thanks for everything today." 

She smiled, placing a kiss on her cheek. "Just call. For whatever." She said. 

They walked together into the parking lot where she had left the SUV. She stopped suddenly, reaching into her bag for the keys before placing them in his palm. 

"Take me home, Dr. Reid." She said, looking up at him. 

He smiled and leaned down to place a kiss on her lips. "Yes, ma'am."


	21. Penelope pt.4

They barely made it through the door before Spencer had his arms wrapped strong and tight around her. She sighed into his hold and ran her fingers through his curls. "You okay?" She whispered. 

He nodded against her. "Yeah, I'm okay. I guess it's just my turn to lose it a bit." He said softly.

Olivia pulled back just enough to look up into his eyes. "What can I do?" She asked, stroking the side of his face soothingly. 

He just stared at her for a long moment, enjoying the comfort that came from her touch. "I love you." He murmured before pressing their lips together roughly. Olivia leaned into the kiss, matching his desire as she held him close. 

When he pulled back to take a breath, Olivia fisted her fingers into his hair and gently tugged his head to the side, giving her room to place warm kisses across his neck. His groan was more than enough the spur her further, but she was too short. Instead she laced her fingers through his and tugged his hand. "Come on." She said, pulling him towards his bedroom. 

She sat him down on the edge of the bed, pulling his grey sweater vest over his head. He watched as she opened the top few buttons of his dress shirt before changing tactics and running her fingers through his hair again. She started off gentle, just massaging her way through his curls, but then after a few minutes she began to scrape her nails over his scalp, just enough. His eyes shut, he tipped his head back, just enjoying the tingling sensation that spread down into his spine. 

"Lay back." She whispered, and he complied, his hands reaching back to support his weight until he was laying flat against the bed. She gently pulled her fingers from his hair, and smiled as he groaned at the loss of her touch. 

"Relax." She said soothingly as she straddled his hips, and let her hands wander over his face. He kept his eyes closed but brought his hands to her thighs as she began massaging out the creases of his forehead, down over his temples and across his jaw until she replaced them with her lips. 

Olivia placed featherlight kisses over his eyelids, on the tip of his nose, along his jaw and just below his ears when he groaned. His hands clenched around her thighs, making her chuckle against the sensitive skin. "I love you." She whispered against the soft flesh of his ear before gently nipping the skin with her teeth. 

His hips bucked up against hers and she could already feel his arousal through far too many layers of clothing. She smirked and reached down between them to undo the rest of his buttons, Pulling his shirt apart to run her hands over the rest of his warm skin. He may not be a large and intimidating man, but he was strong. 

She took great joy in running her lips over the muscles of his chest, his shoulders and his obliques which stood out prominently. Spencer shivered as her lips travelled lower, so much so that she had to shimmy her way down his body and off the bed. 

He opened his eyes and watched as she undid his belt and pants, pulling them down and freeing his legs. Next come the socks, the colourful mismatched socks that she secretly loved and then his boxers, leaving him completely naked. 

Olivia stood, her fingers reaching for the hem of her shirt before lifting it over her head and tossing it away. She kept her gaze locked on him as he crossed his arms behind his head, angling for a better look of her. She shoved her pants down her legs and tossed her bra aside, quickly ridding herself of the layers that separated them.

She slowly lowered herself down onto her knees. Her hands coming up to skim against his thighs. Spencer rose up onto his forearms to watch as she gently took his erection into her hands, stroking him before leaning forward and running her lips over the tip. His eyes snapped shut and he let out an groan at the contact. Olivia flicked out her tongue and ran it up the length of him, smiling as his groans got louder.

He was incredibly hard and forced his eyes open just as she parted her lips to take him in her mouth. Spencer gasped at the feeling before reaching out and grasping her shoulder tightly. She released him with a sharp pop of her lips and looked up in surprise. 

"This is going to end a lot sooner than you think." He whispered, his breath coming in sharp gasps. Olivia nodded, a soft smile on her lips as she pushed him back flat onto the bed and crawled up his body once more, placing kisses on his hot flesh. "Liv..." He moaned when her lips found a particularly sensitive spot. 

She straddled his hips, leaning forward to align them and then sank down slowly. Her head tipped back with a gasp as she heard Spencer moan loudly. His hands tightened on her hips and held her there momentarily once he was completely inside her. 

She settled herself and looked down at him, his eyes were dark as ever and staring up adoringly at her. Olivia smiled and leaned forward to meet his lips, the motion tilting her hips as she began to rock against him. He groaned into her mouth as she eventually quickened her pace. 

After a few moments she could feel him begin to fidget under her. His hands struggling to find purchase as she brought him closer and closer to the edge. He held firmly onto her hips, "Stop." he gasped. 

Olivia stilled her movements and tried to meet his eyes but they were firmly shut. "What's wrong?" She asked. 

"I-I'm too close." He said, the muscles in his jaw tense as he tried to fight the pleasure running through him. Olivia smiled and ran a hand gently through his hair. "That's kind of the point, Spence." She said sweetly. 

His eyes opened then, desperately searching hers. "But- but you..."

Olivia let her thumb drag over his lips, stopping him. "Spencer, for once, don't worry about me." She said softly. "Let me take care of you." She didn't wait for his response before resuming the rhythm of her hips. 

She watched as his eyes all but rolled back into his head as his hands left her hips and just let her take control. She reached for his hands and laced their fingers together before bringing them up to either side of his head, holding him there. 

It didn't take much longer before his body began convulsing under her, Spencer ripped his hands from her hold and sat up quickly. She cried out at the sudden change in position and found herself wrapped up in his arms as he held her to him. His grip was tight, but she didn't care. Olivia was too wound up in the animalistic groans that came from his lips as his orgasm pulsed through him. 

Her hands were back in his hair, stroking gently as he came down from his high. She smiled, placing her lips against his neck when his body relaxed completely. "Mine." She whispered, nipping him there with her teeth. 

His body jumped and he chuckled, pressing his nose into her messy waves. "Oh god, Liv." He sighed. He pulled back and brushed her hair out of her face. His eyelids were heavy as he gazed up at her. "I'm always yours." He said, leaning up to kiss her. "I love you."

"I love you back." Olivia whispered back, sighing into him as their cell phones went off in the living room. "Damnit." She murmured, lifting herself off of him and heading to the bathroom to clean up. Spencer let out a long breath, rubbing his hand over his eyes before climbing off the bed and walking towards the sound.


	22. Penelope pt.5

They met JJ in the staircase as they hurried up to Garcia's apartment. "What's going on?" JJ asked, sitting down in front of the visibly scared woman and taking her hand. 

"This guy's getting seriously bold, I can guarantee you it's not over." Derek said. 

Olivia came and sat beside her on the couch. "Are you okay?" She asked. 

"I-I don't know what he wants from me." She said quietly. 

Spencer sat down in a nearby chair. "Does he think you know something about him?" He asked, 

"I don't know." Penelope said. 

"Maybe something he wants."

"I don't know who he is." She insisted. She turned to JJ, "I'm so scared."

"I know." She replied, giving her hand a tight squeeze while Olivia placed her arm around her shoulders. 

A few moments later Hotch, Rossi and Emily entered the apartment.

"Hey, did you get a look at him?" Emily asked, turning towards Morgan. 

He shook his head, "Nothing."

"Garcia, we need to get you back to the hospital-" Hotch started. 

"No- no. " 

"Technically you should still be there, we need to get her someplace safe." JJ intervened. 

"I feel safe with all of you." She protested. 

"We could take you to the BAU." Hotch countered. All of a sudden, she froze. Everyone's attention was captured by the look on her face. 

"Pen?" Olivia asked, "You okay?"

"When we were at dinner..." Garcia explained, her mind still somewhere else. "They wanted to seat us by a window, but he insisted on sitting in the worst table in the place. And he sat with his back to the corner."

A wave of familiarity and understanding washed over the group. Hotch turned to the detective. "Can you clear the room for just a minute?" He asked quietly.

"I got a dead cop downstairs, I'm considering this part of the crime scene."

"I know. Just a couple of minutes." 

The man looked at him for a moment. "Do what you gotta do."

Aaron nodded, "Thank you."

Once they were alone, Spencer leaned forward in his seat. "Can you tell us about the car?" He asked. 

"Why?"

"Just go with him." Derek insisted. 

"You said it was white, four door, American, what else?"

She shook her head. "That's it, it was just a car."

"No, come one. Think. Anything, go back."

She closed her eyes for a moment before opening them and looking directly at Spencer. "The seat belt was buckled behind his back." 

Olivia sighed and several of the other agents looked at each other in alarm. "Why does that matter?" She asked, turning towards her. 

"It wasn't a rental." Olivia explained. "It was for surveillance. Agents don't wear seatbelts in case they need to get out in a hurry."

"Alright let's cut the crap." David said, pushing between the others to side directly in front of Penelope, forcing her to lean backwards into the couch. "You need to be straight with us- right now."

"Look at me, not them." He said aggressively when Penelope searched out for help. "I'm not hiding anything." She said weakly. 

"You got shot- most people get shot for a reason."

Olivia leaned forward, her voice taking on a warning tone as she said his name, but the man held his hand out to stop her as he continued getting in Garcia's face. "You got a room full of people willing to believe that an FBI agent is trying to kill you. We need to know everything you do on company time that we don't know about."

"What?" He demanded. "Spit it out!"

"It's nothing- it's nothing bad!" Penelope exclaimed. She took a breath. "I-I counsel victim's families. And they know where I work, so sometimes they ask me to look into cases for them."

"What does that mean?" Rossi asked. 

"It just means that the cases- the unsolved ones...I tag them so whoever's investigating them knows that the FBI considers them a priority." 

Aaron gave her a hard look. "You're not authorized to do that."

"I know but I ...I was just trying to help." She said, looking up at him. 

"But whoever's working those cases thinks you're watching them." Emily explained. 

"I just...want to put the pressure on them so they don't...slide."

"How many cases are we talking about?" Hotch asked as he began pacing the room. 

"I don't know...seven...eight maybe. I need to get into my system."

"You can't you're suspended."

"Wait Garcia, "Derek said, turning to her. "On your date. You said this guy was pressuring you to see if you worked murder cases?" When she nodded, he looked over at their unit chief. 

"Hotch. We gotta look at those files." He insisted. 

Aaron looked at Penelope, then over at Rossi. "I told you, I'm sick of this jagoff being in front of us." The man told him. 

"Dave's right. We'll go to the BAU. Morgan, Reid, Prentiss. You stay here and make sure no one forgets to log out of the system. Garcia should not have access." He said before walking out the room. 

"Understood." Derek said, taking Penelope's hand and giving her a little wink. JJ, Olivia and Rossi followed him out of the room. 

Once they climbed back into their vehicle and Aaron started the engine Olivia looked out the window. "He's watching us right now." She said coldly. 

***

Olivia sat at her desk, her back to the doors as she flipped through case files. She picked up her phone and called JJ in her office. "Have you found anything?" She asked. 

"No nothing." JJ replied on the other line. "Check through the files from the year prior, I just emailed them to you." 

Olivia nodded, pulling her account up on the desktop. "Okay I'm on it, thanks. Have you heard anything back from...anyone?" She asked cryptically. 

"No- oh, you know what? Derek's on the other line, I'll call you back." 

"Okay, let me know." Olivia said before hanging up. 

After a few moments, she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye and glanced up. Hotch had walked over to Rossi's office and now they were both desperately trying to not look as though they needed her attention. She met Aaron's eyes while Rossi was staring carefully at something behind her. 

There's no way. She thought, but her body went back into full agent mode at the look in Aaron's eyes. She knew the man well enough to trust him completely. Especially when her back was turned. She gave him a subtle nod and reached down to her thigh to unclip the holster where she held her service weapon. 

She watched their body language as the two men moved down from the catwalk to a filing cabinet to her right. She waited, watching Hotch from the corner of her eye for some kind of signal. 

A breath later and it came. Hotch and Rossi both pulled their weapons and pointed it at the deputy. Olivia turned around and aimed her own right at his forehead as he held his revolver against the agent's temple. The other agents in the room noticed their movements and followed suit. 

"You're a cop." Rossi said, focusing his attention on him. "You know this isn't going to end well."

"You're standing in the middle of the FBI." Aaron reminded him calmly.

The man scoffed. "You think I'm afraid of the FBI?!" He said. 

"I know how this is going to end and so do you." Aaron replied. 

That's when Olivia saw it. A sliver of blonde falling into view on the other side of the glass doors. "I'm a decorated officer" The man protested. 

"That's right." Rossi agreed. "And this is not how you want to be remembered. You're in control here. You write the ending. Your choice."

The man chuckled, "The best minds in the FBI. You can't even stop me." The next thing they heard was the sound of glass shattering as JJ fired her weapon, the shot landing perfectly in the centre of his forehead before he went down. Hitting the ground with a thud.

Rossi and Hotch moved towards the man and kicked his weapon away while Olivia made a beeline straight for JJ. "It's clear." Dave announced. 

The rest of the team arrived pretty soon after. They found JJ and Olivia sitting on the table in the kitchen, debriefing with one of the HRT members.

Garcia came over to them immediately. "Hey." She said softly, turning to JJ. Olivia reached over and gave the woman's hand a squeeze before hopping off the table and moving to join the others. "Figured I'd give them some privacy." She said, glancing back. 

Hotch nodded, holding up his hand. "Still got it." he said simply. Olivia matched his fist bump. "Still got it." She agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coitus interruptus. lol
> 
> I really love this episode, Kirsten is so amazing and she held this episode together every second. 
> 
> Freaking JJ with the badass shot though!
> 
> Rossi can be such a dick sometimes... but he gets the results. And bonus, we never see him be a big meanie ever again. 
> 
> And Hotch...being a big ol softie again.


	23. Birthright

Olivia woke up bright and early before the alarm. She looked over at Spencer, face down in the pillow next to her, his hair mused up in all directions. She smiled, and resisted the urge to reach over and play with it. She saw the time on the clock and decided to let him sleep instead. 

Carefully, she slipped out from between the sheets, trying not to jostle the mattress too much. She picked up the button down shirt Spencer had been wearing the night before, slipping it on as she left the room quietly. 

Olivia padded over to the kitchen and filled the coffee machine with water before turning it on. She plugged in the small radio that Spencer kept on the counter and set it to a station playing catchy morning music. Next she pulled two plates and two mugs out of the cupboard, setting them aside before gathering the ingredients she needed for breakfast. 

She cut up some fruit, before turning towards the pan that was heating up on the stove. Olivia made quick work of whisking the batter together before slathering both sides of bread in it, carefully placing it in the oil in the pan. She waited for a moment, her hips bouncing animatedly to the music coming from the speaker, before flipping it over to the other side. She repeated the process a few more times before she had cooked her way through several slices of french toast. 

She set a bottle of maple syrup on the counter before checking in the fridge for orange juice. She was humming along, distracted by her search. When she pulled the bottle of juice from the fridge she closed it only to reveal Spencer standing there in the doorway, watching her. She let out a laugh, turning away from him to place the juice on the counter with the rest of breakfast. 

"How long have you been standing there?" She asked, turning back to hand him a steaming cup of coffee. Spencer took the mug from her hands, before placing it down beside them, deciding to wrap his arms around her instead. 

He leaned down and gave her a kiss. "Long enough to admire the dancing." He teased. 

Olivia laughed and looked up at him happily. "And?" 

"Ten out of ten." He said, pulling back, "Especially the choice of wardrobe." He added, taking one of her hands and using it to spin her around in a circle, taking a moment to blatantly stare at her butt. Her lacy underwear just showing enough under the hem of his shirt. "You know what? I amend it. Eleven."

She couldn't help but giggle as she pushed away from him. "Take your coffee and go sit." She said, pointing to his cup that he had abandoned. 

"What put you in such a good mood this morning?" Spencer asked as he pulled himself up into a seat. He took a long sip of his coffee before leaning back and watching her as she moved around his kitchen. Olivia shrugged, pushing the plates across the counter towards him before filling a glass with juice for herself. 

He loved to watch her like this. Carefree and happy. It certainly didn't hurt that they were in his home where she made herself feel most comfortable. He loved that. It was very...domestic. His mind flashed forward to an idea of their home, a space they could share together, and he couldn't help but smile at that. Not that he was able to think of much else with her parading around in nothing else but a pair of lace underwear and his dress shirt. 

"It's Friday. I was feeling good this morning and woke up feeling very...energized." She said, raising her eyebrows up at him suggestively. 

Spencer chuckled. "Oh did you now?" He said, hiding his smile behind his mug as she came and sat next to him. 

"Mmmhmmm." She smiled, placing a kiss on his lips. "Okay, try it, tell me what you think." She said, gesturing to his plate. 

Spencer cut off a piece of the french toast and dipped in in a puddle of syrup before shoving it in his mouth. His eyebrows knitted together immediately, a moan of approval humming behind his lips. "That's really good." He said, his mouth still full of food. 

Olivia chuckled, cutting off her own piece as she watched him enjoy his breakfast. 

***

As soon as they walked through the doors at the BAU they knew something was wrong. The mood was...different. It was the kind of feeling that had you worrying something bad was just around the corner. Sure enough they found the majority of the team already waiting in the roundtable room. 

It had been a few weeks since Penelope had been shot and things were finally feeling like they had gone back to normal again. But now Olivia immediately regretted feeling comfortable. 

They took their seats. Olivia took in the expressions of the rest of the team. "It's bad, isn't it?" She asked carefully. Penelope looked over at her and nodded. 

Spencer looked around. "Where's-"

"Uh, everyone's here." JJ said, distracted as she entered the room with several case files in her arms. "Sorry I'm late." she apologized, walking tot he front of the room and placing them on the table. 

She grabbed the remote off the table and pointed it at the tv. "Last night in Fredericksburg, Molly McCarthy, 20, was abducted. She's the third to go missing in the last six weeks. They all disappeared from public places, no one's seen them since."

"Until now." Rossi added, looking down at his folder. 

JJ continued. "A couple of days ago bodies were discovered with cigarette burns were recovered from a National Park. Which was once the site of the Battle of Chancellorsville."

"Were they able to make an ID?" Hotch asked. 

"It was the first victim taken six weeks ago." JJ answered, "Decomp indicated that she had been dead just over a week."

"So he likes spending time with them." Aaron mused. 

Emily pointed to the screen were the woman's body had been hacked up. "How did she end up like that?"

"M.E. Found microscopic tool marks on the bone." JJ explained. 

Spencer leaned forward. "I remember reading about a case like this in Spotsylvania County. Similar markings on the bone."

JJ nodded, "It was the winter of 1980, also Fredericksburg. Five women, 16 to 24. Buried in pieces, same markings. Same Civil War Battlefield." 

"Killed the same time of year and left at the same dump site?" Rossi asked. 

"Not a coincidence." Olivia said. "More like an anniversary." Morgan countered. 

"That case is still open." JJ said. 

"Back then the victims were drug addicts and runaways." Spencer said. 

Hotch put his pen down on the table. "If he spends that much time with them, there's a chance these two women could still be alive."

"That's one hell of a cooling of period if it's the same killer." Emily said. 

"BTK resurfaced after 25 years." Olivia pointed out. 

"But BTK didn't kill anyone." Spencer noted. "He only taunted the police."

Olivia shrugged, "Fair."

"But this is a very specific signature, the marks on the bone. It's hard to copy those details when they were never made public." Rossi said. 

Hotch turned around. "Garcia, check the MO against girls missing in other states. It could explain the long absence."

"I'm on it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's something so weird about writing a domestic scene juxtaposed with a crime scene...


	24. Birthright pt.2

The plane ride was quick and mostly silent. Especially from JJ, Olivia noticed. She had this cold look about her as if she were trying to protect herself before they even landed back on the ground. 

The team split up into two groups, the first went to the dump site, while the other, Olivia, Emily, Derek and Dave went to the Sheriff's Department to speak with the original Sheriff from the first murders. 

"Am I in the right place?" An older man's voice asked as he approached them.

Dave set his file aside to shake the man's hand, "David Rossi." He introduced. 

"John Caulfield."

Dave turned towards the rest of the group, "Agents Derek Morgan, Emily Prentiss and Olivia Kallis."

"Just going over your old case, sir." Derek said gesturing to the boxes around them. 

The man nodded, "Oh... Sharon Chroniger." He said, reaching out to take a photo of one of the previous victims. "She was sixteen years old. We found her body in pieces." He said sadly. "I promised her parents that I would find out who did this. Then her father passed away."

Rossi stepped forward to gently take the photo from his hand. "Tell us what Fredericksburg was like in 1980." He said, pulling out a chair for the man to sit down. 

Mr. Caulfield nodded, dropping himself into the seat. "It was a farming community. Rural. Everybody knew everybody, you could leave your doors open at night. And then this." He said, pointing to the rest of the files. "We were not prepared for this."

"Well we are now. That's the difference." Rossi said.

***

"Did you guys meet with the previous Sheriff?" Spencer asked as she sat down in a seat opposite Olivia and Emily in the conference room. 

"Yeah." Olivia smiled, "He's a sweet man. It's so sad though. All he wanted was some justice for those parents. He blames himself for not getting it for them."

Spencer nodded. "27 years... It's a long time to go without answers."

"What did you guys find?" Emily asked. 

He shook his head, "There was a huge party of kids out there, and no one saw her getting taken less than a handful of meters away." He looked around before leaning forward lacing his hands together. "JJ's taking it pretty hard." 

Olivia nodded, "I noticed."

Emily rubbed her hands over her face and sighed. "A whole day and nothing new to go on. I certainly would be too." She sympathized. 

"Yeah. Did you guys eat?" Olivia asked. "What time is it?" 

Spencer checked his watch, before raising his eyebrows. "We had sandwiches. It's later than I thought it was. We should head to the hotel soon."

Olivia's stomach grumbled and she groaned, putting her hand over top. "I'm so ordering room service."


	25. Birthright pt.3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Giving you two chapters because the first one was mostly filler. 
> 
> Sorry for the weird times and inconsistent posting. I'm back at work now, and getting used to 10 hr days again. Sometimes sleep is more important. lol

"Hey guys." Olivia announced when they returned back at the station. The rest of the team had arrived and were not sitting around the conference room. "Did you find anything at the dump site?" 

"This guy's arrogant. He knows those woods like his own home. He feels entitled to them." Hotch explained.

Spencer leaned forward in his chair. "He didn't even bother to hide any of the remains this time, just left them there out in the open with about a hundred ways of getting in and out of the park."

"What did you get from Karen Foley?" Rossi asked. 

Olivia sighed, placing her hands on her hips, "Nothing. She recanted her story." 

"Do you think she's lying?" Rossi asked. 

"100%." Olivia said, "As soon as we brought it up she started showing classic signs of PTSD and avoidance. She avoided eye contact, shielded herself, she got very defensive."

"She straight up refused to admit it happened." Derek added. 

"She's protecting herself." Emily said, understanding. 

"No she's not." Derek countered. "We just told her that this guy could still be out there. She wasn't even concerned. She wasn't scared at all, why?"

"Maybe she's got nothing to be afraid of..." Rossi observed. 

"What do you mean?" Emily asked. 

Rossi turned to her, "Why can't someone let a case go?"

"Because whoever it is, is still out there." She answered

"Exactly." Dave nodded. "Except, she doesn't react. At all."

"He's dead. And she knows it. It's the only way she could feel safe." Olivia answered. 

They all turned towards the former Sheriff, who sat before Aaron at the table. "You know who this man is." Rossi told him. "He grew up here, he was in his mid-twenties back then. He left after you found his last victim."

"December 13th, 1980." The man said, reaching out for the file. Spencer selected it out of the pile and handed it to the man. 

Derek stepped forward, placing his hands on the table and leaning forward. "He might have gone to prison, might have joined the military, moved away, sold his property?" 

"This is it-this is your case, right here." Rossi encouraged. "He was meticulous, so he may have had two areas of control, both private. One to control and one to contain them."

"A workshop, a barn, a garage?" Olivia asked. 

"Robert Wilkinson." She man said suddenly. 

Emily glanced down at her list of previous convictions in the area. "Robert Wilkinson, 3 DUIs, spent a few days in jail." She confirmed. 

"Well he's dead." the former Sheriff explained. "he was 28 when it happened, he fell into his combine harvester."

"When was this?" Hotch asked. 

"December 1980, right when the killings stopped." 

"Was he survived by anyone?" Spencer asked. 

The man closed his eyes for a moment, "A widow. She was pregnant at the time."

"There's been another abduction." JJ announced when she entered the conference room the next morning. 

"Name's Tara Ricker." The Sheriff confirmed, "The family called this morning when she didn't come home last night. We're still trying to locate her vehicle."

"Well, we know he kills after he takes another victim, so we're running out of time here." JJ said irritated. 

"Alright." Hotch said, looking over at her, "What do we know?" 

Emily stepped up, "We know it's a copycat. Same MO, same dump site."

"Only, you never released any of that to the press." Rossi asked Caulfield. "No." The man said, shaking his head. 

"He had to learn it from someone- a family member, a friend, maybe?" Spencer asked. 

JJ looked over at him. "Mary and Robert Wilkinson had a son." She pointed out. 

"Well, are you suggesting there's a genetic predisposition to killing?" Caulfield asked, skeptically. 

"It can happen, especially when you take into account psychology and socialization." Spencer replied. 

"If you have a combination of genetics and a son that grew up without a father, searching for his own identity. Especially if he found out about Robert." Rossi pointed out. "It could be a stressor."

"I remember Charlie Wilkinson, when he was 15, he killed a neighbour's cat. Put it in a bag and hit it against a tree." Caulfield said. 

"How old is he?" Olivia asked. 

"Mary was pregnant with him when Robert died." He explained. 

"That's 27 years ago." She said, looking over at Hotch. "That's almost the same age his father was when he started killing. Tell me that's not a coincidence."

One of the officer's entered the room, "Sheriff? We found the car." He said. 

The Sheriff immediately stood from his seat. "JJ and I will go with you." Hotch said, following his movements.


	26. Birthright pt.4

Derek knocked on the large red door, taking his glasses off and hanging them in the collar of his shirt. "Chrissy Wilkinson?" Olivia asked when a blond pregnant woman answered the door.

"Can I help you?" She asked, looking suspiciously at them. 

Olivia held up her badge. "Olivia Kallis, this is Derek Morgan- we're with the FBI." She introduced. 

"Um..."

"We're looking for Charles Wilkinson." Derek explained. "Is he here?"

"Uh- he's at work."

"He's not there- do you mind if we take a look around?" Olivia asked, slipping her badge back into her pocket. 

"I don't understand, what's this about?" Chrissy asked, leaning heavily against the door frame. In that moment another black SUV and Sheriff's vehicle pulled up behind them in front of the house. The Sheriff, Hotch, and Spencer stepped out but kept their distance. 

"We're investigating the murders of some local women. I'm sure you've heard."

"And...you're looking for Charlie?" The woman asked, there was something in her tone that wasn't quite a question anymore. 

"Ma'am, we could go get a warrant if we needed to." Derek said. 

Chrissy took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. She didn't need to say anything else. They knew. The woman simply nodded and stepped aside.

Olivia turned around and gave the three men a confirmation nod, springing them into action. The Sheriff took a crowbar from the trunk of his car and jimmied open the barn door lock. Hotch and Reid were directly behind him and began clearing the space as soon as the door was open. 

"Obviously this is where he's been torturing them- but where is he keeping them?" Emily asked once they were all inside the barn. There were several officer milling about, collecting evidence. 

"It has to be somewhere isolated, no way he'd risk keeping them so close to his house." Derek said. 

"Oh god." Olivia said, looking over Emily's shoulder at the door. The woman turned around. 

Morgan stood up and watched as Rossi and Caulfield were outside interrogating Charlie's mother. "Dave vs. Mama bear."

"I'd put my money on Rossi every time." Emily murmured. 

"Where's everyone else?" Olivia asked. 

"JJ and Reid are inside looking through Charlie's things. Hotch is talking to the wife." Derek explained as he wandered around the room. "You know- Karen Foley said she carved a peace symbol into the wood? There's nothing like that in here."

"She also said he'd make her walk outside." Emily pointed out as Dave came back into the barn. 

"You think she could handle coming back to this place?" Morgan asked seriously. 

"Do we have a choice?" Dave asked. 

***

Derek led the search as they explored the north end of the property line. Olivia followed closely with Aaron and the Sheriff on her tail as they made their way through the hilly countryside. As they approached a large rocky section they slowed their movements. 

Guns drawn, they carefully cleared the area, keeping their awareness sharp. "Hotch." Morgan announced as they came upon a flat piece of earth. 

"Yeah- I see it." The Unit Chief replied, coming up behind him. Olivia stepped aside to make room for their boss, turning slightly to make sure they were covered as they approached the large storm drain that was padlocked shut. The Sheriff approached with a lock pick and began fiddling with the contraption, opening it quickly. 

"Liv?" Aaron asked. 

"You're good." She confirmed as she continued to scan the area around them for any sign of Charlie. "Go." She instructed. 

The men climbed through the tunnel entrance and she could hear their footsteps echoing further and further away from her. A few moments later and she could hear their voices again. "Clear!" Derek shouted. "Got one coming out."

"Copy." Olivia responded, her arms reaching out to help the young woman climb for freedom. Once she was all the way out of the tunnel and back on the ground, her knees gave out and she fell into Olivia's hold. "You're okay." The agent whispered soothingly, wrapping her arms around the girl and smoothing out her hair as she clung to her. "You're alright. He won't hurt you again. We're gonna get you home."

A rescue team had to come out to get the other woman so they could put her on a backboard. But soon everyone was at the new scene, until Charlie's mother identified a spot of Robert's favourite where he might be hiding. Aaron, Derek and JJ went with her to the area and soon they all heard a shot ring out in the open air. 

Olivia immediately brought her wrist to her lips. "Aaron. Derek. Anyone." 

***

"Who's up for a drink?" Derek asked once everyone was done with their reports back at the office. 

Emily shot her hand up, "ooh- who's up for five?" 

"Count me in." Rossi agreed as they gathered their things.

Spencer was fiddling with his back and looked over at Olivia, "I don't know..."

"Stop it with the 'I don't know'. You're in, kid." Derek instructed. 

"Yeah he is- and you know I am." Olivia said, giving Emily a high five.

"JJ?" Derek asked turning to her."

"Ugh...I'd love to. But I'll have to take a rain check." She said sadly. 

Rossi turned and saw Hotch step out of his office. "Hotch- you up for a beer?" He asked. 

Aaron sighed and took a second before resigning, "Sure." He said as someone entered the bullpen in front of them. "Agent Hotchner?" A man in a dark suit asked, getting their attention. 

"Yes?" 

He placed a large manila envelope in Aaron's hand and gestured to a clipboard for his signature. The man sighed heavily as he did. 

"What is it?" Emily asked. 

Slowly he turned to them, his eyes on the package in his hands. "Hailey's filing for divorce. I've been served." He said sadly before pushing the doors open and walking away. 

***

"Did you know?" Derek asked Olivia as he took a sip of his beer. 

"About Hailey?" She asked, then shaking her head. "I knew she left, but he was trying really hard." She answered, finishing the final sip of her whiskey and setting the empty glass down in front of her. 

"Another?" Rossi asked, gesturing to the glass. 

Olivia shook her head, "Bad idea. I'm already going to need to doctor to give me a lift home." She said, gesturing to Spencer beside her. 

He reached for her car keys resting beside them on the table and held them up as proof. 

"How long have you known Hotch?" Emily asked as she fiddled with the jar of pistachios in the center of their table. 

Olivia sighed as she tucked one of her stubborn curls behind her ear. "Eight years." she answered, "Never seen him like that though." 

"What about JJ? Anyone know if she's okay?" Spencer asked. 

"I know she's missed the last two girls nights." Emily said and Olivia nodded in agreement. "Whenever we're free on the weekends she's just...never around anymore."

"Not that I blame her though." Olivia said, coming to the woman's defense. "I mean, I see you all and I either associate you with dead bodies, alcohol, or uncomfortable hotel beds." 

Derek laughed at that. "Okay, okay, that's fair."

"Don't get me wrong!" She said, holding her hands up, "I love you all to death, even the newbie." She said, pointing at Dave and earning a laugh from the table. 

"Newbie- I am not." He countered "I'm just glad you've gotten over psycho-analyzing me and my office wall colour." 

The other three groaned at the memory. "That was not me!" Olivia said, defending herself. 

"But you called me newbie." Dave said, tipping the rest of his drink back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Birthright is not one of my favourite episodes, I'm sure you can tell, because I mostly skimmed over it. But one of my absolute favourites is up next! Check your canon, do you remember which one?


	27. Third Life

Olivia had her arms resting on Spencer's shoulders as she cuddled into his embrace. He had barely made it through the door before she had attacked him in the front entryway. "I missed you." He whispered into her ear, before kissing her temple. 

"I did too." She replied with a smile as she pulled back. "Even though I only saw you a few hours ago." She teased. 

"It's different." He said, reaching up to caress her cheek. Olivia nodded, "I know. That last case, we didn't even have enough down time to see each other at night and recharge, constantly just running around for days. And then when we're at work I'm not allowed to even look at you like you're my boyfriend." She pouted, her tone teasing. 

Spencer laughed, picking her up and heading towards the couch where he sat down, leaning against the pillows and keeping her straddled on his lap. "No, you're not. Neither of us can. Subtle, remember?" He said, imitating Hotch's stern look. "Yes, sir!" She chuckled, saluting him. 

Spencer smiled, reaching up and running his fingers through her hair. "We certainly haven't had a lot of time alone this past week, have we? He asked. "To just be..."

"Ourselves?" Olivia finished, shaking her head. "No, we haven't." 

"We should change that." Spencer said confidently. "And how do you propose we do that?" She asked, tugging off his tie and straightening the collar of his shirt. "Let's start with...dinner. We'll order pizza, pick a movie and just lounge around right here and then...we can see where that takes us." He suggested, knowing she would never object. 

"Oh my god." She said throwing her head back happily. "Now I know why they gave you all those PhD's!" She said, her excited tone making him laugh as she climbed off of him and headed towards her collection of takeout menus. Spencer hauled himself off the couch and looked over at her. She had flipped her head over and was tying her long hair into an adorable looking bun while shaking her hips excitedly over the prospect of pizza. 

"I'm going to change." He said, reaching for his go-bag before heading to her bedroom. When he returned later, dressed in his own Cal Tech sweater and dark sweat pants, she had gone back to making herself comfortable on the couch. He smirked when he noticed there were several more pillows and blankets around her now than before. 

"You think you have enough?" He asked as he approached, pointing towards the comfort items around her. Olivia shook her head, "Nope." She said, reaching out for his hand. "I'm still missing one." She pulled him back down and crawled over to sit on his lap, moulding her body to his easily. "Better." She murmured before pressing her lips to his. 

The pizza arrived some thirty minutes later, catching them both off guard when the bell rang. Olivia climbed off the couch and had to adjust several articles of clothing in her haste to answer the door. She paid the delivery guy and locked the door behind him, bringing the box of deliciously steaming pizza over to Spencer, still seated comfortably on the couch. 

"Dinner is served." She announced, placing it in front of them on the coffee table. They each picked up a slice and Olivia all but moaned in satisfaction. Spencer couldn't help but laugh as he set the rest of the slice back down to retrieve his phone as it rang in his bag. He looked at the ID before sighing and looking over at her. BAU.

"Liv." He said. 

She knew that tone. And when she looked over, she realized that she knew that expression too. "No." She sighed. 

Spencer nodded, "Yep."

***

The team entered the crime scene in the bleak darkness of the field. The only lighting available came from the headlights of police cars. "Have you ID'd the body?" Hotch asked as he led the way. The Detective shook his head, "It's a girl."

"One of the missing girls?" The unit chief pressed. 

"All I can tell you right now, is it's a girl."

"Did you draw up a list of those involved in the search?" Derek asked. The man handed him a notebook. "You're gonna find the parents of the girls on that list." She said, ducking under the police tape.

"Please tell me they didn't find the body." Emily said. He shook his head, "No. As soon as our dogs caught her scent, we kept them away from the scene." He explained to everyone's relief. 

"They've been missing 18 hours?" Spencer asked, checking his watch.

"That's correct. We found the body five hours ago."

"And the parents have been here this whole time." Olivia sighed. 

"And I'm running out of excuses." The detective admitted. JJ looked over at them. "I'm gonna go talk to them." She said. "JJ, I'll come with you." Derek added, turning away from the scene.

The rest of the team looked on at the mutilated and beaten body of the young girl. "I gotta be honest, guys." The detective said warily. "I'm glad you're all here because I have never seen anything like that." His eyes never left the young woman's body. 

"Her face and her hands have been obliterated." Aaron observed. "She knew her attacker." Olivia added, "Poor girl."

Spencer and Emily pulled on gloves and entered the crime scene a little further to examine the body. "Developed bruises, cuts, layer upon layer." Emily said, the little bit of light they had was able to illuminate the body just enough for them to see. "Bindings cut deep into her flesh." Spencer added, pointing to the girl's limbs. "And around her neck there's heavy bruising. A belt was used to strangle her, you can see the indentation marks of a buckle."

"And you said she knew this guy?" The detective said turning to Olivia. She nodded, "By destroying all means of immediate identification, it gives him more time to get away before we know their connection."

"Do you think the other girls still alive?" He asked. Rossi spoke up, "Until we find her body, we should assume she is."

"One thing's for sure- this is only the dump site." Aaron confirmed, "We need to figure out where she was killed."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mean COME ON with the cuteness.


	28. Third Life pt.2

Olivia had heard the tape. She had struggled and forced herself to listen to every last agonizing second of Katie's last minute on Earth. It was just a blip in the grand scheme of horrible things she and everyone else had to endure in this job. But nevertheless, it had created a deep and altering chill deep in her bones that she couldn't sooth. 

Now she was standing in the middle of Lindsey's bedroom with Rossi, Reid and Morgan while her father and his friend looked on skeptically. "What happened to Lindsay's mother?" Dave asked.

"Does it matter?" 

"It does to Lindsey." He answered bluntly. 

"It's called victimology, it helps us understand more about Lindsey." Reid explained. "How she carries herself. How she interacts socially with others." Her father shrugged, "She's just like any other fifteen year old."

Olivia couldn't help but scoff. "No she's not."

"I'm sorry?" He asked, immediately getting defensive. Spencer stepped between them. "Everything in our house is an externalization of ourselves."

"This is not what you'd expect of a teenaged girl. No J.T. Posters, no framed pictures, no journals, no cuddly toys." Derek added. "The walls are a mute tone. All of this suggests that Lindsey keeps herself hidden. She's shy and shares very little with others."

"Except to one person, Katie." Spencer finished as his phone rang and he stepped out to take the call. 

"All that from this room, huh?" He asked, watching Spencer walk down the hall. "Is he wrong?" Olivia asked. Jack gave her one final cold look before following Reid's movements towards the office. Derek turned his head to study Olivia for a moment. "What?" She asked. Dave closed the closet doors, and headed for the door, gesturing for the rest of them to follow him as he approached Lindsey's father. 

"Doesn't look much like a home." He said, getting the man's attention. "State-of-the-art security system, but the furniture looks rented." Morgan looked around, "The walls are bare of any real art. The shelves are devoid of any family photos."

"Spyware wipes your computer file history daily." Spencer added. "What are you getting at, agent?" Jack's friend spoke up. David stared back, his expression cold. "In the recording, Katie said what you'd expect of any teenager about to die. She begged for her life. Lindsey did exactly the opposite." He said, turning his attention to Jack who was staring down at the carpet. 

"Which is what?" He asked. Spencer stepped forward, "Lindsey's emotional response and the words that she chose to say in a situation as violent as the one she faced...strongly suggest..."

"Look." Rossi said, cutting him off. "Lindsey was either coached, or she's experienced sexual abuse before." It was exactly the right button to push. Jack's demeanor changed from passive to extreme in that single second. "You son of a bitch!" He yelled, as his friend tried to get between them to calm him down. But Olivia wasn't just studying his micro-expressions, she was studying him. 

"Gun." She announced, pulling her weapon from her thigh holster and pointing it at the man.   
"Put your hands where I can see them, both of you!" Derek yelled, following her lead. Spencer and David had their own weapons out not a second later. "Do not move!" Olivia yelled as Jack's hands went up in the air and his friend froze, turning slowly to face her. 

"Okay. Okay, just calm down. I'm gonna reach into my pocket, and I'm gonna take out a badge." He said, meeting her eyes. She gave him a nod of permission and slowly he did just that. Once the emblem came into view she rolled her eyes and lowered her weapon slightly. "Marshall?" She demanded. 

The man stood back up to his full height. "Jack and Lindsey are under my authority." Olivia holstered her weapon as Rossi asked, "As what?"

"Witness Protection." She concluded. "I'm gonna call Hotch." She sighed, turning her back on them. 

***

"What did you guys find at the house?"

"What didn't we find? Blood, clothes, liquor bottles, garbage. And a dead body a few doors down." Derek said. Taking a seat in one of the chairs. "Lindsey?" Olivia asked. "No, no. We think he was one of the abductors." Spencer said throwing out his coffee cup. "Rossi is in with Jack now. Filling him in."

"Okay- here's what we have." Aaron said, entering the conference room. "Defensive wounds, bite indentations, scratch marks on his hands, face and arms all indicate that he was involved in the murder and abduction of Katie and Lindsey." 

"He's just a teenager." One of the detectives said. "So were the Lords of Chaos." Emily fired back pointedly. "Social dynamics of teenaged boys." Rossi concluded. "In this case intoxicated by drugs and alcohol, when worked up into a frenzy by a dominant male, the adolescent mind can be pushed past what the adult mind perceives as acceptable."

"What started out as a good time quickly devolved." Aaron continued, "and Katie fell victim to the violent, drunken rage of a juvenile gang."

"I have an idea." Spencer murmured, pulling out his cell phone. "Hey, Garcia- check every high school in the Chula Vista area, males between the ages of fifteen to eighteen. 

"Okay." The woman on the line said, her fingers typing away furiously in the background. "Chula Vista has seven public schools and three private schools, so I'm gonna need more than that."

"Brown hair, 5'9", approximately 142 pounds." Spencer answered, inspecting the photograph of the recent victim. "I need more." Penelope told him. 

"Most of the activity's in the southeastern district." Olivia pointed out over the line. "Yeah, yeah, It's predominantly working class." Spencer agreed, glancing towards the map in front of him. "Look within a three mile radius of the Castle Park area."

"Two high schools."

"Start with the largest."

"I got five faces. Jinkies. Nevermind. I found him." She announced, and the rest of the room went quiet. "Douglas Silverman." Hotch nodded. "We need to interview the people around him, classmates, teachers, friends."

"He'll think of himself as a real badass, someone who broke the rules and defied the system." Derek added. 

"Our other unsubs will have flunked of gotten kicked out of school- most likely the same school that Douglas attended. He'll also have a record, petty theft, arson." Olivia said. 

"We need to find his parents." Rossi said pointing to the young man's photo.


	29. Third Life pt.3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is my favourite ending I've written to an episode in a long time. This just flowed so easily- I had been picturing it in my head for a long time. I hope you love it as much as I do.

Olivia returned to the conference room as Spencer was still trying to narrow things down further with Garcia at the screen. "The Ryan we're looking for may have gone to school with Katie or Lindsey. He would have been expelled or at least flunked out." 

"Hey, you guys get anything else?" She asked, handing him a cup of coffee. "Thanks." He said, letting his fingers linger on hers just longer than necessary, getting a small smile from her. "No, Penelope's still digging-" He was startled by a creaking noise behind him and turned around. 

They watched as Katie's dad left the office where he had been talking with Jack earlier. Olivia could see the wheels turning in his brain as he stood and walked into the room. "Spencer?" She asked, following him. The room was empty and Jack's pills were sitting on the desk. "Oh no." He said out loud. 

The next moment the emergency door slammed against the wall as it was forced open by the U.S. Marshall. "He took my car!" He yelled, his hand coming up to wipe away the large amount of blood that was pouring out of his nose. "The bastard took my car!" The room immediately went into a frenzy. Spencer reached around her to the landline sitting on the desk. "Hotch. Vaughan is on the move, he took the Marshall's car and he's going to go after the man holding Lindsey. Garcia has a name, Ryan Phillips. She sent you the address."

Olivia looked over at him as he hung up the phone. "Geographical profile." She said. He nodded, rushing towards the map laid out across the room. He immediately placed himself in front of it and let his mind work it out. "Spencer." Olivia said, tossing him a marker. He caught it mid-air and turned back to the image, his hand sketching out slightly slower than his brain could compute it. 

"You gotta find him and fast." The Marshall demanded, stepping into the room. "What does it look like I'm doing?" Spencer asked absently. "Colouring a map." The man spat. 

"Back off." Olivia said, stepping between them to force the man back and give Spencer some space. He paid neither of them any attention as he let his brain take over. "All the activity is focused on the south eastern district..." He mumbled. An officer entered the room and handed the gruff man a note. "Gunshots coming from Jackson street." He said, looking over at Reid expectantly. "Are you coming?" He demanded, but Spencer continued to ignore him as he laid everything out on the map. 

The Marshall looked over at Olivia incredulously, "Well?" She shrugged, her arms still crossed in front of her. "I go where he goes." The man gave her a hard look, but when she didn't back down he left the room in a huff. 

She turned back to Spencer and leaned over to see his work. "What do you got?" she said softly. "Get me Hotch." He said quickly. Olivia pulled out her cell phone and hit the speed dial button. "You've got me and Reid." She said when he answered. "Give me good news, please."

"After inputting all the sites, I've come up with a two dimensional probability service relay map that indicates the offender's operating area."

"Reid- where is he?" Aaron demanded. "I know it sounds crazy but, I think he's taken her to the Mayford High School two blocks from here." He said. Olivia nodded, reaching for two Kevlar vests and the keys to the last SUV at the station. She pulled hers over her head, tightening the straps as Spencer continued to listen to Hotch over the phone. 

Once he was done he clicked it shut, placing it back in Olivia's hand as she handed him the other vest. "Let's go."

***

Spencer pulled the vehicle to a stop in front of the school. "That's the Marshall's car." Olivia said, reaching for her door. The two of them exited the vehicle and made a run for the front door, their guns drawn. They paused on either side of the door, peering through the windows for any sign of movement. 

Olivia let out a breath, calming herself as she looked over at him. "I love you." She said. 

"I love you." He responded, giving her a nod to open the door. She did and he stepped inside, his weapon high as he cleared the immediate space. They kept their positions tight to the wall to their left, clearing each intersecting hallway as they passed. Spencer led the way, and Olivia checked every single door behind him. 

Suddenly they heard a loud noise and a female voice crying out. He glanced back at her, "Go." Olivia assured him. They ended up on either side of a bathroom door, inside they could hear Lindsey's voice clear as day. 

"Kill him! Kill him, Daddy! He killed Katie. Kill him!" 

Spencer wretched the door open and they stepped inside, Olivia on his hip, covering his back. "Put the gun down!" He instructed. "Help me, please- please help me!" The young man said from where he lay on the floor, bleeding. 

"Jack, put down the gun." Spencer said again. Olivia kept her weapon trained on the man, never wavering as Spencer took a step forward. "She begged him to stop, but he laughed at her- He laughed at her!" Lindsey screamed at her father's side. 

"Look- If- If I could change it I would...but I can't..." The you man pleaded. Spencer looked at the kid. "Stop talking." He said, his voice harsh. He turned back to the man with the gun. "Jack. Jack, you swore to your wife that you would protect Lindsey. Listen to her, Jack. Listen to what she wants- she's, she's begging you to kill someone right in front of her." Spencer said. "What did you think your wife wanted you to protect her from?" 

"Jack," He tried again. "Your life has been...it's been about violence and, if you do this...Lindsey's will be too. Do you want that? When does it end, Jack?" Olivia sincerely though that it worked, but when the sounds of the police sirens reached their ears, she knew something was wrong. She saw the muscles in Jack's jaw flex. He had made up his mind. 

"Tomorrow." He said before he pulled the trigger. Spencer flinched immediately and it was all Olivia could do to prevent herself from pulling her own.

Spencer froze and she placed her hands over his quickly, pointing his weapon down to the floor before stepping forwards. "Put it down. Put it down, now." She instructed and Jack complied instantly, placing the shotgun on the dirty tile floor and wrapping his arms around his daughter. 

She picked up the weapon and stepped back. Just as the rest of the team barged through the door. "Clear!" Olivia called out and they immediately lowered their weapons. She looked over at Derek, handing him the shotgun before gesturing to Jack and Lindsey. "Get them out of here." 

Hotch came up to stand beside Spencer who was still frozen in his spot. His eyes continued to stare at the now bloody mess that covered the floor and the walls. "I-I tried." He said, meeting the man's eyes. "I tried, but I...couldn't. What's going to happen to Jack?" He asked, turning to Rossi. "Depends."

"On what?" Olivia asked

"How important a witness he is." Rossi placed a hand on Spencer's shoulders before leaving the room. Aaron looked over at Olivia, she nodded, and they were left alone. 

"Hey." She said softly, taking his hand. "Look at me." He met here eyes and she could tell that his brain was still trying to catch up to what they had seen. "Take a breath." She whispered. Olivia watched as he closed his eyes and did just that, squeezing her hand as he let it out. She smiled and nodded when the look in his eyes softened as he looked back at her. 

"Let's go home."

***

Olivia drove back to his apartment, knowing he could definitely use the comfort of home tonight. She took the keys from his hands and unlocked the door, letting them in. "Make sure you lock it properly." He said softly as he toed off his shoes."I will." Olivia replied as she flipped the switch on the deadbolt. She hung up her coat and left her shoes by the door as he watched her, waiting for her to join him. She took his hand and they walked side-by-side to his bedroom. She reached up and pulled his bag off his shoulder, leaving both by the door. 

Spencer followed as he was led to the bed and sat on the edge. She raised her hands and caressed his face. "Shower?" She asked. He didn't answer, just shook his head. "Okay." Olivia whispered, she reached down and untied his necktie, placing it on a chair off to the side. She undid the buttons of his shirt, pulling it away from his body and tossing it aside. "Pants." She instructed as she made her way towards his closet where she pulled out a warm set of pajamas for him. 

When she turned back he was on his feet, folding the slacks and leaving them on top of the rest of his discarded clothing. He stripped out of his underwear and tossed them into the laundry bag by the door. He turned towards her, not caring in the slightest about his nakedness. She held out his clothes for him and gently kissed him on the cheek. "I'll be right back." She whispered. 

Spencer nodded back and she slipped into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Olivia took a look at herself in the mirror and sighed. She looked just about as tired as she felt. She tied her hair up and splashed some water on her face to take the grime off before using the toilet and stepping back into the bedroom. Spencer had changed and was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring down at his hands. 

Olivia ran her hand over his arm as she passed him. Hoping to try and snap him out of his mood a little. He merely turned his head and watched as she rooted through his drawers for a pair of sleep pants and a t-shirt to wear to bed. Once she found what she needed, she stripped out of her own clothes and tossed everything into the laundry bag. 

She climbed across the bed and sat on her knees behind him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulling his back into her body for a hug. She held him there for a long while, Spencer reached up and held onto her arms with both hands, seeking her comfort. 

"I thought he would listen." Spencer said finally. 

Olivia laced her finger through his and leaned against his shoulder. "I know. I really did too." She whispered. 

"What could I...what could I have done differently?" He asked, twisting his body around and breaking her hold to look at her. 

She held his gaze for a moment, "Honestly, I don't think there was anything you could have said to him. Once he heard those sirens, he knew. They had already spent ten years looking over their shoulder for one threat. I don't think he ever would have left that room with another one."

"Would you have done it?" He asked suddenly.

"Kill someone... for my child?" She asked. 

Spencer nodded and Olivia let out a sigh, pushing her hair back, away from her face. "I don't know. I really don't." She said seriously. "I've never known love like that. I mean I love you and I would have no problem... But...everyone says... that you don't know real love until you hold your child in your arms. I'd like to think that I would do whatever was is my power to protect them from any kind of situation first. But that's all I know."

He looked at her for a long time, his eyes searching hers. "I think I would." He admitted quietly.


	30. Damaged

Olivia had tried her best to keep a watchful eye on Spencer over the next few weeks, he seemed alright, but she knew he was always good at hiding that. They all were. Especially Rossi. Who, for the first time they had to watch him second guess himself. 

That agent was by his own words, exactly like him. Hungry for success, for the limelight, to prove herself. He had known that, but still hadn't seen her actions coming. They all were just relieved they had gotten to her in time. Not that it mattered much for his final victim. The journalist from the Chronical who had died hours later in the hospital. 

They pushed through it. They had to. There was, after all, another case. 

Aaron had approached her earlier in the week about driving to Connecticut with him and Spencer to interview Chester Hardwick as part of their ongoing research intake process. This was going to be her very first serial killer interview. 

Aaron's phone rang and he immediately reached for it. "Yeah, JJ."

"Is it wrong that I'm... kind of excited?" Olivia whispered as she and Reid sat in front of the warden's desk while Hotch paced behind them. Spencer smiled and fiddled with a small plastic snow globe that he plucked off the desk. "Not really. They are fascinating. I am just a little more worried about...other things." He said, his eyes trailing down to the black heels and pencil skirt Hotch requested she wore. 

Olivia leaned forward and placed a hand on his thigh. "You know why." She said softly. He nodded, "Yeah, of course I do. It's just...using you as...as bait." He mumbled quietly. 

"It won't be the last time... For any of us. We're all bait in the perfect scenario. Besides, two federal agents, armed guards... I feel pretty safe." She assured him. He placed his hand over hers and squeezed it gently before moving away when Hotch came back. "No, no...it's a personal matter... I'll take care of it when I get back." He said, before hanging up. 

"Everything alright?" Olivia asked. "Yeah, fine." He said dismissively. 

"We can do this interview another time." Spencer offered. "Well he's scheduled to be executed next week." Hotch countered. 

"I can take the lead if you need-"

"Reid." Aaron stopped him, holding up a hand just as a man passed though the door. "Agent Hotchner?" He asked, stepping forward to shake his hand. "And you must be Dr. Reid." He said, greeting the two men before looking at her. "And you must be our new addition, correct?" He asked, checking his notes. 

"Agent Kallis." She said, shaking his hand. "Abner Merriman, assistant warden." He introduced. "You're here to see our infamous inmate Hardwick."

"Yeah, he agreed to meet with us as part of our criminal personality research project prior to his execution." Spencer said. The man broke out into a smile, "I've read some of your studies in police journals." He said, causing Spencer to smile as well. "Serial killers are a kind of hobby of mine." He explained. "Chester's the only one I've met in person though, I bet you've met quite a few."

Olivia dipped her head, covering up a smile as Aaron cut the man off before Spencer could give an animated reply. "Sir, I'd very much like to get started as soon as we can." 

"Oh, of course, of course- forgive me." He said. As soon as the man turned away from him, Aaron shot Olivia an annoyed glance. "Now, you requested Miss- uh, Agent Kallis join you later on in the interrogation?" He asked. 

"The interview, yes." Spencer reminded him. "Yes, of course, excuse me. Well, you are more than welcome to wait here, agent." He said turning towards her. 

"Thank you." She said, sweetly. She met Spencer's eyes as the assistant warden led them out of the room, the two sharing a look before they walked down the hall. 

***

Three hours in and so far the only thing the profilers had succeeded in was igniting the temper between Hotch and Chester. 

Olivia had been watching from the security camera that was covertly placed in the corner of the room. She focused on their unit chief's agitation while the convict was as calm and collected as possible as he continued to stare out the small window in front of him.

"I don't have time for this!" Hotch spat out. "You didn't live in a nice house in a quiet street- You grew up in a series of projects in East Bridgeport, each one worse than the last." He continued, "You spent your teenaged years peeping into your female neighbour's windows, burglarizing their underwear drawers when you got the chance. And you set a hundred small fires, for which you spent two years in juvenile detention." 

Olivia nodded from her spot on the chair, turning to the guard beside her. "I'm ready." She said calmly.

"In that case, you're wrong." Chester said as he continued to idle beside the window. "About what?" Aaron spat.

"I started a lot more than a hundred fires." 

In the silence that followed, The clicking of Olivia's heels could be heard echoing down the long hallway towards them. Chester's eyebrows knitted together in confusion but the two profilers watched as he couldn't help but turn his body towards the noise that grew louder and louder. This was exactly what Hotch had planned for. An opportunity to catch the man with his guard down. Everyone had a 'rock' as it were. 

As Olivia appeared behind the bars they all noted Chester's facial expressions. His eyes grew wide and then flashed into something hungrier as his eyes travelled down her legs. "Thank you." She said sweetly to the guard as he opened the bars for her to pass through. She walked with confidence into the room, actively ignoring Chester as she walked directly to Spencer. 

She placed the file she had been holding in front of him, leaning over the edge of the table to show off the long, lean lines of her legs. "Doctor, the file you requested." She said, her words rolling off her tongue like honey. 

"Focus, Chester." Hotch said. 

The man's eyes flashed over to him, angry. "What do you want to hear? Huh. How papa kicked me and Jean's ass every single day?" He asked, his eyes, travelling back over to Olivia who continued to ignore him. "It that it?" 

"If it's true." She said, his eyes snapped up to her face as she addressed him for the first time. "Nobody gives a damn about the truth, sweetheart." He said, leaning back against the stone wall and crossing his arms over his chest. 

She shrugged her shoulders and placed one hand on her hip. "I do."

Chester turned his head towards the window. "Temperature's dropping." He said matter of fact. "I'm surprised you're not cold..."

"Olivia." She said, unmoving from her spot. "I run hot." 

He chuckled and nodded, "I bet you do. It's that time of year. Warm days, cold nights. It will be summer soon."

"But not for you." Hotch said aggressively, forcing the man's attention back onto him. "No." He agreed. "Not for me. But perhaps..."

"Let's talk about the specifics of the case." Spencer said, trying to get the interview back on track. "Why did you choose Sheila O'Neil?" 

"You gotta show me a picture, I don't know all the names." He replied, looking straight at her. "Miss. Olivia."

"Agent." She said, her sweet tone getting replaced by her more authoritative one. "And you don't need the pictures." Chester nodded, "Ah, yes. Of course. Agent. Well, I have an excellent memory. I thought you wanted to hear the truth."

"I do." She confirmed, "Just without all the bullshit attached."

Chester took a calculated step forward, Olivia's eyes never leaving his. "The truth it, they meant nothing to me. They were toys. A diversion- just like you are now." He said, pointing a finger at her. "And from the moment I decided to kill them, they were dead. They begged, they cried, they bargained, and it didn't matter, because they didn't matter." He took another step towards her, causing Spencer to sit up straighter, ready to move at any moment. 

"Sometimes I wish I was normal. That I'd had a regular life. But I didn't." 

"Why did you ask us here?" Hotch asked, clearly frustrated. He looked back towards the window. "I wanted to smell the air." He said. 

"What?" Aaron demanded. "They've got me on death watch." Chester explained. "Twenty-four-hour-a-day isolation. And I will be until they take me to the death chamber. So I wanted to smell the air one last time before I die. Although, thank you, for letting me smell you too. That was quite a treat." He said, looking over at Olivia with hungry eyes. 

"That's enough." Hotch said, grabbing his things. "Pack it up. Now. Have a nice trip, Chester." He said, pressing the button for the guards as Olivia and Spencer collected their folders. When nothing happened, he pressed the button again as Chester watched in amusement. "It's 5:17." He said, causing Spencer and Olivia to look up at him. "Evening yard started at 5:00. Guard staff's outside with the population. There won't be anyone to open that door for...at least 13 minutes." He shrugged. 

Olivia could feel her own heart rate and Spencer's spike at that, but she fought to keep her expression neutral as she studied the way Chester and Aaron were staring down at each other. After a moment. Chester reached over and picked up a photograph. The scene was beyond just bloody, there was splatter covering every surface of the room it was taken in and the body was beaten past recognition. "And it took me less than five to do this." He finished, a smile spreading across his features. 

"Now, you want to talk?" He said, turning around to face Olivia again. "Let's talk." He said as he circled her like an animal stalking it's prey. "While you were doing your research... Maybe a question or two about security tones would have been beneficial." He spoke to Aaron but he continued to watch Olivia. 

"I heard the tones." Hotch said firmly. "So it was your plan to be locked inside with me." He said. "With...this." He gestured to Olivia. "But no guns or weapons."

"I don't need a gun. Neither does she." Aaron said calmly. 

Chester looked at her properly. "Oh really?" He asked. Olivia smiled, looking down as she slowly removed the reading glasses she wore, before meeting his eyes again. But Chester wasn't phased, and neither was Spencer as he placed himself in equal distance between the other two agents. 

"There's no way they're going to execute me next week. Not after I kill three FBI agents." He said, leaning against the wall. "You saved my life by coming here." He smiled. 

"But unfortunately for you, I'm not a 5-foot-tall, 100-pound girl." Hotch said, pulling off his jacket. The tone in the room immediately changed. "All your life, you've gone after victims who couldn't fight back. And the rest of the time you've spent looking over your shoulder." 

Olivia and Spencer watched as he pulled off his tie next, tossing it to the side. "Worrying about the knock on the door. Scared that somebody like me would be on the other side, waiting to put you away. At your core, you're a coward." He said, pointing directly at the man aggressively. 

They watched as Chester and Aaron both took several steps towards each other, the tension between the two men was palpable. As Chester leaned forwards and his hands itched to strike, Spencer spoke up. 

"Chester, do you want to know why you killed those women?" He asked. They watched as the man's focus was challenged by his question. "What?" He barked. 

"Earlier, you said you wished that you were different. I can tell you why you killed them." Spencer said fatter-of-fact. "Why you are, what you are."

Chester finally turned his head, giving the doctor his full attention. "You can tell me why I did the things I did?" 

"I think so. I do." Spencer said before the man gave him a nod of approval. "Your mother's bipolar. And almost certainly a differentiated schizophrenic. Your father suffered severe shell shock in the war. What we now refer to as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder." Olivia turned her gaze to Aaron, as Spencer continued to ramble on, holding Chester's attention. Hotch met her questioning glance and held it for a moment before turning back to the other two in the room as Reid elaborated. 

"53% of all serial killers have some form of mental illness in their family. In your case, both your parents suffered from psychological disorders, which they primarily took out on each other as much as they beat you. So, violence became a natural expression of love... There's something called the hypothalamic region of the limbic system. It's the most primitive part of the brain. It wants what it wants, without conscious and without judgement. It's what makes babies cry when they're hungry, scream when they want affection, become enraged when a toy is taken away. In most children, a healthy relationship with their mother counters the hypothalamus and maps the child's brain into a healthy emotional response... In your case, the hypothalamus never learned control- it still operates on that primitive level...your records also indicate that you display the symptoms of satyriasis. You're obsessed with sex. Sex and love are cross-wired with pain in your head. Additionally, your hypothalamus won't allow you to stop seeking the desires that it wants. So you became a sexual sadist. And because no functioning sexual partner will ever willingly submit to the painful desires that you have. So the only way you can serve them is by making a partner compliant. Making sure that they do exactly what you want them to do. And you ensure that...by killing them. Earlier, you said your victims never really had a chance. I think you know deep down... It was you, who never really had a chance." He said as the doors buzzed open and the guards entered the room. 

"Everything all right in here?" They asked. 

"Fine." Hotch replied. "We're done." He said, exiting the room, Olivia followed close behind but waited by the door for Spencer. "Is that true- I never really had a chance?" Chester asked. 

"I don't know, maybe." Spencer said absently as they passed through the door together and walked down the hallway. "Excellent timing, Doctor. Reid." She whispered, chancing a glance at him. He looked down at her and met her eyes. Calm, reassured and trusting as he let out the breath he'd been holding. Yeah, they were okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When this started out, it was just going to be a filler episode, honestly. I'm glad though that I gave Olivia her time to shine at the prison instead of the Rossi storyline.


	31. Damaged pt.2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, screw it. I'll just give you the whole episode. Lol

Once they were back in the SUV, the first thing Olivia did was kick off her heels. "Ugh. There's a reason I don't wear these things." She complained from the back seat. Spencer smiled at her attempt to break the ice. 

Hotch sighed, "It was smart to get Hardwick to focus on himself long enough for the guards to come back." He said finally.

"I find that I do some of my best work under intense terror." Spencer replied. 

"Yeah- much better than a two-man brawl." Olivia added as she watched the two men in the front seat. Aaron sighed, "I'm sorry. I antagonized the situation."

"No you didn't." Spencer said quickly, earning a scoff from Olivia in the back. 

"Well I certainly didn't help." Hotch admitted. 

"Ah...I guess you didn't really help." Spencer agreed. 

A long silence followed. "So, Hailey wants me to sign the divorce papers uncontested so nobody wastes money on lawyers."

"You don't want to?" Spencer asked. "What I want I'm not going to get." He said quietly before changing the topic. He met Olivia's eyes in the back seat. "So...how long?" He asked. 

"How long have I been waiting to get out of this skirt? About four hours, thanks." Olivia deflected, reaching into her bag and pulling out a pair of leggings. "Avert your eyes." She instructed as she started changing. 

"That's not what I meant and you know it." Aaron said glancing towards the man. "Almost a year?" He asked. 

"Ten months." Reid conceded. 

"Way to give up so easily, Doctor." Olivia smirked, tossing her skirt at him in the front seat. He picked it up from where it fell at his feet, tossing it back at her. "Not my look." He replied easily. 

The interaction made Hotch chuckle in the front seat. "Children." He mumbled. "Wait." Olivia said, leaning forward onto the middle console, turning to the man driving. "Are you unit chief right now, or Aaron?" She asked. 

He looked over at her for a moment. "Aaron." She nodded, "How did you know?" 

He shrugged, "I've known you a long time, Liv. I know what you look like when you're happy." Olivia smiled at that before placing a kiss on his cheek. 

"Hey- I'm driving." He said, waving her away with his hand. "Fine." She shrugged, "Want me to egg her car?" She asked suddenly. She smiled as Hotch let out a small chuckle. "No." He said firmly. 

"Have it your way."

***

Later when the rest of the team arrived back in the bullpen, they found Spencer reading at his desk. "Pretty boy! How was Connecticut?" Derek asked, placing his bag on the floor. 

"Ultimately uneventful." He smiled as Olivia walked in behind the rest. "Hey guys! Welcome home." She said, wrapping her arms around JJ's shoulders. 

"Oh Sir, there's um, somebody waiting to speak to you in your office." Spencer said, pointing up to the open door. They all looked up to find Kevin Lynch waiting in the door frame. "Agent Rossi." He said, fighting the nervousness in his voice. "We need to talk. About...Penelope. Man to man." 

Olivia noticed the smile on JJ's face as soon as it happened. "Man to man." Rossi agreed, heading towards his office. 

"What about Penelope?" Derek asked. "I don't know." Spencer replied, looking at the others. JJ chuckled and turned on her heel away from the rest. "Garcia and Kevin. Sitting in a tree..." She sang under her breath as she headed off. 

"Get outta here. Are you serious?" Derek said, looking impressed. Olivia's eyebrows shot up in surprise as Emily crossed her arms and shot her a look. "Just when I thought nothing scandalous was every going to happen around here." She smirked. 

Olivia laughed and took her seat. "Good for her." She said. 

"Wait- what does that mean?" Spencer asked, his eyes bouncing between the two women. Emily gave him a look. "Didn't you hear JJ?" 

"Wha- the song meant something? No! I-I missed it!" 

"But- I-It... You know what, nevermind." Emily said, sitting down as she glanced over at Olivia, trying not to laugh even more. 

"What?" Spencer said, leaning over to her. 

"I'll tell you when you're older, sweetie." Olivia smirked, turning back to her paperwork. 

***

Spencer collapsed onto his back as Olivia followed, letting her weight drop onto him with a heavy sigh. Their bodies were slick with sweat and their breathing was only starting to come back down to normal. Spencer reached up and gently brushed her hair away from her face, kissing her forehead as Olivia snuggled into his chest. 

"You know what?" He said suddenly. "I think I got it now." 

She raised her head, looking up at him. The confused expression on her face morphing into laughter.


	32. Elephant's Memory

Spencer continued to stare up at the ceiling. The even breathing beside him told him that Olivia had long since fallen asleep. He turned his head and looked over at her. A small smile played on his lips as he watched her twitch gently as she dreamed. He reached over and moved a curl that was dipping towards her eyes, he tucked it out of the way and caught a glimpse of his watch face on his wrist. 

4 am. 

He rolled onto his back again and let out a sigh as he stared back up at the ceiling. He tried in vain to silence the thoughts in his mind, but they continued to play over and over on his eyelids every time he tried to sleep. 

Jack Vaughan pulling that trigger. 

The sound of it echoed in his ears again and again. It was that sound that woke him up in the middle of the night. 

He was just thankful that he hadn't woken Olivia this time. The first time he knew he scared her, she tried to cover it up, but he knew. With one last glance over at her, Spencer quietly slipped out of the bed and down the hall. He flicked on the small light in the kitchen and started up the coffee machine. 

He leaned against the counter, his fingers fidgeting as they drummed against the wood. With one hand he pushed up the sleeve of his shirt. He stared at the still-healing track marks that littered the inside of his elbow. So much time had passed, and yet here they were still, a scar to remind him. 

A strong feeling overwhelmed him, a compulsion that forced his hand as his fingers itched forward and scratch at the area. A psychological itch, he knew.

The only thing that stopped him was the ding of the coffee machine once it was finished. Spencer let out a relieved sigh and filled a mug, taking a long sip of the bitter liquid without bothering to add any sugar. 

"Hey." 

Spencer turned at the soft voice that broke the silence. Olivia was bundled up in a pair of his too-big fleece pajamas and Cal Tech sweatshirt. Her hair was rumpled and she let out a large yawn as she approached him. He couldn't help but smile. 

"Hey." 

"Still can't sleep?" She asked, her hands reaching out to take his mug and tip it towards her lips. She made a face at the taste. "Mmm, black." She mumbled, wiping her lips with her fingers. 

Spencer shook his head and sighed as he dropped it, his chin resting towards his chest. Olivia placed the mug on the counter. "You're still thinking about it?" She asked quietly. 

Spencer kept his gaze down at their feet. "I can't help it." Unaware that he was doing it, his fingers edged towards the delicate skin of his arm again, gently scratching. Olivia wrapped her hand around his, pulling it away. 

"Spence?" She asked, looking up at him. She reached up and tilted his head back, meeting his eyes. "When was the last time you went to a meeting?" She asked gently. 

He stared into her eyes, his brain working in the background. "2 months, 3 weeks, 6 days ago." He said precisely.

She smiled, her fingers reaching out to caress his jaw. "I love that big brain." She murmured, causing a small smile to break across his features. "It starts at six right?" She asked. 

Spencer nodded, enjoying the peaceful feeling of her hands on his face. 

"How about, I make us some breakfast and then drop you off before work?" She suggested. 

He wrapped his hands around her middle, pulling her close. "That sounds good." He whispered into her hair. 

"Okay." Olivia said softly, turning her head, to place her lips against his neck. 

***

He stood up in front of the group and looked out. "Hello, my name's, uh... Spencer. And I'm a... I don't really know what I am." He said, his face scrunching up in contemplation. "This , uh, this is my first meeting here in a while." 

He gave a small smile in recognition as they greeted him. "I guess, uh...I know I had a...a problem with Dilaudid, but, um...I stopped. Like...10 months ago, I stopped." He said, a feeling of pride rushing through him as he remembered his reason why. 

"I thought it was over." He explained. "But, recently I'm-I've really been...your literature uses the term 'craving'. It started like a month ago, I...a-a suspect was murdered in front of me. A-a kid. And I thought that I could save the kid, but...I couldn't, and... Sorry. I'm sorry." He said as he felt his cell phone vibrate. 

I'm so sorry, babe. We have a case. JJ wants us to come in.

He cleared his throat, slipping the device back into his pocket as he turned back to the group. "I've seen a lot of that stuff before, but for some reason that kid's face is really, uh...stuck in my brain." He explained. "You know? It's really, uh...I can't...and I...I want to forget...about him, and...I just want to escape. Sorry." He apologized again as his phone went off again, from JJ this time. 

Spence, we have a case. 

"I have to go, I'm sorry." He said, stepping down from the podium and exiting the room. On his way to Olivia's car a man called his name. 

He turned, only to find himself face-to-face with the director of the FBI. "Places to go, people to profile." He said as he caught up. "You know who I am."

"Of course I do, sir. I just- I didn't, um...expect to see a man of your position here." He explained as his brain caught up to his shocked expression. 

"Here, there are no sirs. I'm just John. And this is not something you talk about at the office. Especially not our office." He was cut off by the buzzing of Spencer's cell phone again. 

"I'm sorry, I really do have to go." 

He watched as the man reached into his pocket and pulled out a coin, handing it to him. "Take this." He said, "That's my one year medallion. It took me six years to get it. For the past 13 years, I've never left home without it. Because I know if I forget that, I'll lose my gun, my credentials, my home. Everything. Hold on to it."

"I only have ten months." Spencer protested. 

"I know. In a couple of months when you get your year, you give it back to me." He said, before turning on his heel and walking back into the room. 

When Spencer opened the car door and slid into the seat he was still as shocked and confused as ever. "I'm so sorry." Olivia apologized, reaching out for his arm. "I really didn't want to bother you, but..."

"I know." Spencer said, turning to her. "It's okay." He leaned over and placed a kiss on her lips before she drove off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> She gets him. I love that.


	33. Elephant's Memory pt.2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, loves. I've been away for a few self care days. Let's get back to it.

They arrived in Texas a few hours later and immediately made their way to the scene. "Sheriff Hallum?" JJ asked, stepping towards the man. "Jennifer Jareau." She greeted, shaking his hand. 

"This is the team, agents Hotchner, Rossi, Dr. Reid, Prentiss, Kallis and Morgan." She said, introducing everyone. "We're really sorry for your loss."

"Thank you, where do we start?" 

"First victim, Rod Norris?" Hotch asked. 

"Manager of the chemical plant over at IBIS. No arrests in ten years since his wife left him. I can't blame her for leaving, but it's a shame she left Jordan behind."

"What can you tell us about Jordan?" David asked. 

"Sweet girl, a bit slow." 

"Slow? She was mentally challenged?" Emily asked. 

"Not quite, Special Ed and all that stuff. It takes some talking to her to notice it. I think her mother leaving took its toll."

"Sheriff, I'd like to gather your people back at the office so I can brief them all together." JJ asked. 

"Sure, but I'm staying here."

"Of course, thank you." JJ said, heading towards one of the vehicles while the rest of the team spread out in the crime scene, what was left of the home. 

"The blast looks like it was localized here." Spencer said as he crouched down to examine the burn patterns on the floor.

"This room was sealed off too, look." Emily said, pointing at the door frames. "There's some plastic, and duck tape on the doorsills."

"And gunpowder. You smell that?" Rossi asked. 

"How can you not?" Olivia asked, checking her file. "This says there were about 12 canisters all together."

"So he seals the kitchen, blows out the pilot light so the gas is trapped inside, and stacked the primary charge." David said, lookin around. 

"But who blows up a kitchen, and not the rest of the house? The blast was designed to focus the damage on whoever came through that door." Spencer observed. 

Emily picked up a box of charred cigarettes. "He was a smoker." She said. 

"Whoever designed this knew that, and knew he would be smoking when he got home."

***

When the rest of the team arrived back at the station Hotch shot Olivia a look. She left her seat and followed him down a hallway and into an empty office. 

"Hey, what's up?" She asked, closing the door behind her. 

"What is wrong with him?" He asked bluntly. 

"Who?" Olivia asked. 

"Reid." 

Her face gave away nothing but confusion. "What are you talking about- did something happen?"

Hotch placed his hands on his hip. "This case is setting him off. He's on the verge of blowing up and it's going to happen soon." He explained. 

Olivia stayed silent as he told her about the house, the school, and the video. "Oh god." She said, shutting her eyes briefly. 

"What?" 

"No- it's not..." She sighed. "He's still struggling with the Vaughan case, he plays it over and over in his head, thinking he missed something. That he should have been able to save him."

"And now this case, everyone doing as little as they can. It's driving him crazy." Aaron nodded in understanding. Olivia nodded in agreement. 

"Okay, well. I've already talked to him once, either he pulls it together, or I bench him." He explained. 

"Tell him, Aaron. Not me. You can't come to me just because you know we're together. You know that. If he needs a wake up call then he needs to hear it."

The man nodded, reaching for the door. "Yeah, you're right. Okay, let's go."

When they arrived back at the desk, the team was going over what they knew. "Two alienated kids, no maternal presence, dysfunctional relationships with dominating fathers who withheld love. They were made for each other." Rossi concluded. 

"Mm. As lover, yes. But partners in crime, no." Emily countered. "There's nothing in Jordan's profile that says she's capable of violence, and certainly not murder."

Suddenly Penelope appeared back on the screen. "A new mpeg just posted on the school's social networking site." She announced, pulling it up. They all watched as footage of three teenagers were stripped of their clothes and on their knees in a field. "It was a joke man! We didn't mean anything by it." they said, begging for their lives." It was three years ago, no one even remembers it!" 

"I do." Came a young man's voice before the rumble of an automatic weapon fired dozens of shots into them. 

"Oh god." Olivia whispered. 

"Garcia, is there a way to trace the mpeg back to the computer that sent it?" Aaron asked. 

"It was sent by Jordan's PDA." Garcia explained, "Owen's hacked the sim card. He's anonymized it. It stops the phone from transmitting it's current position. Hackers do it to stop roaming charges, it's good for one call and then it turns it's service off." 

"Keep an eye on it, in case he sends anything else."


	34. Elephant's Memory pt.3

"We're here. Get ready." Hotch said as they arrived at Stratman's Ranch. They followed behind the Sheriff's vehicles and spread out, seeking cover. 

"Reid, Reid. A little help." Derek said, as his eyes landed on a body in the dirt. He made eye contact with Olivia and she moved behind Aaron, covering his back. The Sheriff and his officers led the way, clearing the house as the agents cleared the rest of the grounds. 

"Clear!" They heard inside and Rossi stepped outside to join them. "Owen's not here." He said. 

"Hotch." Morgan called, "We've got a body back there."

"Half-dug grave." Spencer added. 

The sheriff exited the house. "We got a note." He said, handing it to the unit chief. 

"'I'm going to return my mom's necklace.'" Aaron read aloud. "He may be going home to get it- Sheriff you go there." Hotch instructed, turning to the rest of the group. "Where's his mother burried?" 

Everyone stopped when they heard the sound of Velcro ripping. Olivia turned to see Spencer removing his Kevlar vest. "Reid, what are you doing?" Hotch asked as he followed the man back to towards the vehicles. 

"He's going to force us to kill him." He explained. "I don't need to be a part of that. You don't- you don't need me." He said handing him the vest. 

"Liv." Hotch called out, when she appeared at his side he handed her the vest and a set of keys. "Go back to the station."

"Yeah." She said as he walked away, but her eyes never left Spencer's tired form as he avoided her gaze. 

He pulled open the passenger side door of one of the SUVs and it took her a second before her feet could move again. She snapped out of it and joined him. Starting up the vehicle and pulling away without a word. 

When they arrived back at the station Spencer's demeanor changed completely. "Hey, where are you going?" Olivia called as he darted from the vehicle and into the station. 

"Spencer." She called when she finally caught up with him. 

"They think he's going to his mother's grave." He said, ripping a photograph off the board. 

"Isn't he?" She asked as she followed him. He walked into the room where Jordan was sitting and held up the photo. "He was gone when we got to the ranch." He explained to her. "I want to save his life but I need to ask you a question. This necklace, he gave it to you?" He asked, pointing to the one in the photograph. 

"I-I left it at the ranch." She answered, her hand coming up to touch her neck. 

"He's coming here." Spencer told Olivia, placing the photo in her hands. JJ watched with a worried expression on her face. Olivia sighed, "Call Hotch and don't let her out of this room." She said, following Reid. 

She ran after him as he pushed the door open and stepped out into the sunlight. "Spencer, slow down." She said, coming to stand beside him as he looked around. "What makes you think he'll come here?" 

"It's what I would do." He said plainly. His eyes focusing on something in the distance. 

"Liv. Cover me." He said handing her his weapon. 

"What- Spencer, no!" She said as he stepped out into the street unarmed and unprotected as Owen walked towards the station with his automatic weapon. 

"Do not shoot." He ordered, and continued to walk away despite her protests. She automatically raised her weapon to cover him, pointing it at Owen as she hugged her side against the brick wall. 

"Owen, I don't have a gun." He said, holding his hands up. 

Olivia could feel her heart stop in her chest as Owen raised his weapon at him. "Don't do it." She whispered. 

"My name is Spencer. I'm with the FBI, and I'm here to help you."

"Oh yeah? Well I need you to stay back!" He said, his black coat whipping in the wind. The squeal of tires caught their attention as the black SUV arrived down the block, all three agents jumping out to point their weapons at him. 

"I know the only reason you joined the team was for your father. I know that he blamed you for what happened." 

"Stay back, right where you are!" He yelled. 

"I also know the only reason you killed Rod Norris and Kyle Borden was to protect Jordan. I know that harder you tried, the worse it got, and it felt like everyone just stood there watching you suffer. Not a single person even tried to help."

Owen nodded, "They didn't. They didn't." 

Spencer chanced a glance back at the SUV and adjusted his position to protect Owen from their view. "Spencer stop." Olivia mumbled under her breath as she kept her weapon trained on the boy. 

"You just...wanted to escape. And forget. Believe me when I say, I know- I know exactly how that feels. And you know what- you don't have to die."

The boy shook his head. "No. No- I'm already dead."

"No." Spencer said shaking his head. "No you're not dead. If you die, you're gonna leave Jordan just like your mother left you. I know you don't want that. Do you?"

The boy slowly shook his head. "Okay. You- you bring her to me, alright? You bring her outside."

"I can't bring her outside, Owen. But, if you put the gun down, I swear to god- I'll take you to her. I promise, nobody will hurt you. You'll say goodbye to her, and you'll give her the necklace. Alright? So what do you say? Let's put the gun down. Let's go inside. "

It took a long agonizing minute before Owen placed the rifle down on the ground in front of Spencer and Morgan ran forward to cuff him. 

Olivia lowered her weapon, leaning against the wall for support as the endorphins wore off and hot rage replaced it. 

***  
Spencer stepped into the apartment and flinched as Olivia slammed the door behind her. "Don't." Spencer said, "The neighbours..."

"Do you think I give a shit about the neighbours right now, Spencer?" She hissed at him as she dropped her bag on the floor with a loud thud. 

"What the hell happened out there today?" She demanded. 

"What do you mean?" He asked, walking past her into the kitchen.

"What do I mean?" She repeated incredulously. "I mean when you blew off the Sheriff, or when you exploded with the principle, or with Hotch- or when you stood there, unarmed, in the middle of the street without a vest, in front of a kid with an automatic weapon and you made me watch!?" She said, her voice faltering at the end. 

The silence that followed was prickling with tension. Spencer's back was to her as he rested his hands against the countertop. His body unmoving. 

She calmed herself down enough to rub a hand over her face. "Spencer, you need to say something, you need to talk to me." 

"Why?" He spat out, his shoulders sagging. 

"Because I'm trying so hard to help you!" 

"I could have been that kid!" He yelled, raising his voice as he whipped around to face her again. 

It was like admitting it out loud knocked the wind out of his lungs. The fear in his eyes forced her out of balance. "Do you know how close I came to being that kid?" his voice shrank down to nothing in a split second, she could see the tears beginning to fill his eyes. 

Olivia sat herself down on the couch and looking at him. "Tell me." She said softly. He followed her back to the living room and looked down at her for a few seconds, unsure if he should give in or not. In the end, he let his weight drag him down into the cushions. He leaned forward and rested his arms on his knees. He stared at his hands for a long time. 

"I was in the library." He said softly. "And uh... Harper Hillman comes up to me. And she tells me that... Alexa Lisben wants to meet me behind the field house. Alexa Lisben was like...easily the prettiest girl in school." He said, going quiet again for a long moment. 

"When I got there, it wasn't just her. It was the-the...entire football team. They, stripped me naked, and tied me to a goal post." He shook his head, "So many kids were there, you know, just watching."

"No one... No one tried to help?" Olivia asked, filling a gap in the silence when she wasn't sure he could continue. But he just shook his head. 

"I begged them to. But they just- they just watched. Finally they got bored and they left. It was like, midnight when I finally got home." He said slowly. 

"And my mom didn't..." He cleared his throat, "My mom was having one of her episodes, so she didn't even realize I was late." 

"You never told her?" 

Olivia felt her heart break when his response came. "I never told anybody. I thought...It was one of those things that I thought if I didn't talk about it, I'd just forget. But I remember it like it was yesterday. I was an eleven year old kid in high school, I graduated at twelve. I couldn't... Maybe I wasn't 'mouldable' yet the same way Owen was, but... I thought about it." He admitted, looking over at her. 

"I thought about... escaping everything. Finding a way to just...just forget. But my brain won't let me do that. I thought so many times about..." He said, his voice cracking. 

Olivia moved over and wrapped her arms around him, holding onto him tight. She felt the moment when the tears came, when he held on just as tight, like he needed her in order to breathe. "Thank you for not doing it." She whispered around her own ragged breaths. "Thank you for holding on long enough to find me." She said, running her hands through his hair, comforting him as his sobs filled the room.

She pressed her lips against his temple. "I love you, Spencer Reid." She whispered. 

"I had to save him." He choked out, his hands digging into her skin so hard she knew there would be bruises, but she didn't care. "I couldn't let another kid die in front of me. I know how he felt. I know...I'm sorry."

Her own tears rolled hot down her cheeks. "Shh. It's okay. I forgive you. I forgive you, Spencer." She repeated soothingly. "I've got you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An emotional ending that I'm not 100% happy with, but I'm glad I included it anyway. Spencer is such a great rock for Olivia but I can't imagine him going through all that he did without truly feeling the feelings. He needs her too.   
> Let me know what you think.


	35. Elephant's Memory pt.4

Spencer slept through the night that evening. When Olivia woke up the next morning she smiled at his light snoring. She had learned early on that his body managed to sync snoring with his REM cycle. So if she heard the gentle noises she knew he was in a deep sleep. 

She carefully crawled out of bed and made her way to the kitchen to put on some coffee and make breakfast. She placed a few slices of bread in the toaster and cooked up some scrambled eggs while she waited for the machine to brew. Once the eggs were finished, she turned off the burner and covered them up with a lid to keep them warm. She poured the coffee, waiting for Spencer to wander in from the smell but he never did. 

Olivia took a mug in each hand and made her way back to the bedroom to find him still in the same spot as when she left. She smiled, setting the cups down on her side table before crawling back under the covers beside him, she propped herself up on the pillows and reached for her book that she had left there, opening it to the last dogeared page. It was another half an hour before his eyes would flutter open. 

Olivia took a sip of her coffee as he stretched his arms up over his head and yawned, he looked over at her. 

"You're still here." 

"Of course I am." She said, replacing her cup with his and handing it to him, but he shook his head, he pulled himself over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, using her lap as a pillow. She couldn't help but smile as he nuzzled his cheek against the fleece sleep pants and held her tight. 

"Thank you." He mumbled against her stomach. Olivia set the cup aside and ran her fingers through his messy hair and across the stubble on his cheeks. 

"Even when I don't like you very much, I still love you, Spencer. I'm not going anywhere." Her whispered promise filled with emotion. 

He opened his eyes and looked up at her. "I'm sorry I put you through that. I'm sorry I forced you to do that." 

She nodded, her eyes never leaving his. "I know. Just, try not to do it all the time. My heart does this weird thing when you put yourself in danger. It stops." She said, a slight smile playing on her lips. 

Spencer hauled himself into a sitting position and reached over, taking her face in his hands before kissing her. It was solid and slow and perfect. 

"I know the feeling." He whispered back against her lips.


	36. In Heat

"Charles Luvet was found floating in a Miami marina last night. Local M.E. thinks that he was only in the water about an hour." JJ said, taking her seat at the table.

"Any attempt to weight the body down?" Hotch asked. 

"Doesn't appear to be."

Derek looked over at the image, "Well dumping could appear to be convenient as opposed to a means of hiding the crime." 

"Well he's the third victim found in Miami over the last two months." JJ said, looking down at her notes, "Though the locations of the bodies are different, many of the elements are the same- all males, 25 to 35, all traveling, all asphyxiated with no signs of sexual assault."

"Tourists could mean just simple robbery."

"Well, there are some personal items missing."

Rossi sighed, "He's targeting travelers for a reason."

"I'm so sorry."

They all turned towards the door where Penelope was carrying her things and hustling into the room, looking colourful as ever.

"Half day today?" Emily teased. "Alarm, sir. I overslept. I'm sorry." She apologized, taking her seat and shooting the woman a look.

Hotch smirked, "Everyone's allowed to be late...once." Olivia tried to hide her amusement as he met her eyes. 

"Won't happen again." Penelope assured him. 

"You guys notice the red flag on the autopsy report?" David asked. 

Emily flipped the page, "Yeah, none of the hyoid bones were fractured. No visual signs of trauma, no ligature marks."

"So how do you strangle someone without...strangling someone?" Olivia asked, her hand coming up to rub at her shoulder. 

"Choke hold?" Morgan suggested, "Wouldn't leave any signs of trauma."

"Yeah but not just anyone can do a chokehold. I mean, not successfully anyway." She said. 

"But if he does know how it's an excellent way of controlling a male. A powerful grip from behind gives the unsub all the leverage." Spencer added. "None of these victims look out of shape or easy to control- in fact, they all look remarkably fit."

"They were also all found in high traffic areas, without much of an effort put into hiding them." David noted. 

"Miami PD is asking for our help, considering there are currently four other males missing that match this victimology." JJ said. 

Penelope took out her notebook. "I can dig up what I can of the victims from their home towns."

"Miami is a mecca for potential targets." Hotch pointed out. "and anyone travelling is more vulnerable than they normally would be."

"Case in point, Charles Luvet, the latest victim, was a vacationing cop."

It didn't take anymore convincing than that to get them all on the jet thirty minutes later. Once they landed they were immediately hid with the humidity of Florida. 

"Ugh... Is it always this hot?" Spencer complained as he exited the vehicle. David and Derek were already outside and admiring the impressive features of several women as they walked by. 

"Every day, all day." Derek replied. 

"That's south beach." Rossi agreed. 

"Ugh- don't make me smack you both." Olivia said, disgusted as she stretched out her legs. 

Emily looked over at her with a raised eyebrow. "What's wrong with you?" 

"Just sore." Olivia explained as she rolled her neck to the side. 

"The fun kind?" She asked, earning a smirk from JJ. 

Olivia rolled her eyes. "If you call the gym fun." She said sarcastically. 

"FBI?" A brunette asked as she approached them. 

"Yes." Derek said, immediately sizing her up from behind his sunglasses. Olivia and Emily looked at each other and shared a dramatic eye roll.

"Detective Lopez, Miami PD." She introduced. 

"Morgan." He said, shaking her hand a little longer than necessary. "Derek."

"Tina." She replied with a smile. "So, thank you for coming down so quickly." She said, turning to the others. 

"Agent Jareau- JJ, we spoke on the phone." The woman said, cutting between them. "These are agents Hotchner, Prentiss, Kallis, Rossi...Derek, and Dr. Reid." 

"Well, I hope there's no test, cause I'm lousy with names." She smiled, glancing over at Morgan. 

"Agent will be fine." Rossi smirked as the sound of a vehicle approaching distracted them.

"Hey." Emily said, pointing. "Isn't that-"

"Detective LaMontagne just arrived from New Orleans," Lopez explained as he approached. "to ID the cop they pulled from the bay last night."

"Detective." JJ smiled, shaking his hand. "It's good to see you." 

"How are you?" He said looking around. "Charlie Luvet and I worked together for seven years. We haven't formally ID'd him yes, but...we believe it's him." He said sadly. 

"Sorry for your loss, man." Derek said. 

"So you all know each other?" Lopez asked. 

Will looked over at JJ, "Uh...professionally." She said, hiding her gaze from him. Olivia looked over at Emily, her eyebrows raised in surprise. 

"Yeah." The detective said a beat too late. "The BAU helped me out on a case about a year ago." He explained, turning to Hotch. "But just for the sake of clarity, I'm not here to investigate. Charlie was supposed to be married this August, so if the guy that floated up last night was him...I guess I have the honour of notifying his fiancé. So, she's gonna need some answers." He sighed. "Closure. I'm just here to get that for her."

"Do you know why he was here?" Rossi asked. 

"Well, he was meeting up with some college buddies to compete in a regatta. He was a big boat guy."

"So he wasn't travelling alone?" Hotch confirmed. 

"He came alone. He was meeting them here."

"We should track these friends down, see is they saw anything. And the two other victims, any potential witnesses?" He asked Lopez. 

"No." she said, shaking her head. "Paul Hayes was here alone on business, Daniel Brown came down to windsurf by himself."

"So, they were all essentially alone." Spencer concluded. "The unsub had to have watched them long enough to know that."

"Yeah, he's probably already scoping out his next victim." She agreed. "And I don't have a damn thing to warn people with. So come on inside, I've got everything all set up." She said, leading the way. 

When they entered the office Emily checked behind them before leaning over to Olivia. "Okay, seriously?" She teased. 

"What?" Olivia asked. 

Emily rolled her eyes. "'Professionally." She said, imitating JJ's high voice. Olivia chuckled and looked around them quickly, making sure neither was nearby. "She's such a bad liar." She agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Those ladies are so sassy. I love it.


	37. In Heat pt.2

"For you." JJ said, handing Emily a bottle of water. 

"Oh thank you- you read my mind." She said, cracking it open and taking a long sip. 

"I don't understand how it can be this dry when it's this humid."

"Mmmhmm. You sweat all your fluids out outside and then come in to bone-dry air conditioning."

Well then, If I could just hook this up to an IV..." JJ joked, making Emily laugh. 

The woman noticed movement over her shoulder. "At least we have something fun to look at." She mused. "Keeps us on our toes."

"What do you mean?" JJ asked. 

Emily nodded over to the far side of the bullpen. "LaMontagne." She explained, her eyebrow arching. JJ turned around and glanced at the man before whipping back around and grabbing the bottle again. 

"You think so, huh?" 

"Don't you?" Emily asked, "Hey Liv."

"What's up?" Olivia asked as she joined them at the counter, she had a file open in her hands and she was reading as she leaned against the surface. 

"Detective LaMontagne. Hot or not?" Emily asked, knowing she would take the hint. Olivia did. She hid her smile and slowly raised her head to look over their shoulders. 

"Oh hell yes." She said, confidently. "I mean If I weren't taken..." She said, the smirk evident on her lips. 

JJ turned around again, this time almost making eye contact with the man. "Yeah-yeah. I guess he's... He has a thing." She said, avoiding their eyes. 

"Oh it's definitely a thing." Emily agreed, her tone flirty. 

"Mmmhmmm." Olivia said, picking up her file and walking away from an obviously uncomfortable JJ. 

***

The last thing they did that day was give the profile to the night shift officers before heading back to the hotel for the night. Olivia flopped herself onto the bed with a sigh as she felt her muscles give in to the mattress. 

"That good, huh?" Spencer chuckled as he picked up their bags and set them on the hotel dresser, he tugged off his tie and walked up behind her as she mumbled into the pillow. 

"What was that?" He asked, as he knelt down and pulled her shoes off before tossing them towards the door. 

"Everything is sore." She repeated, rolling her head to the side so he could hear her. He nodded, climbing up onto the bed and straddling her. He began to knead his hands into her back, rubbing out the tense muscles as she groaned under him.

"Maybe you'll remember this feeling the next time you decide to go heavy in the gym." He smirked, pressing his fingers into a particularly sensitive spot in her shoulder. 

"Ooooh good god." Olivia groaned, clenching her fist around the pillow. "It's not my fault. The pool wasn't open so I couldn't work them out after." She protested. "And then we got the case, and we were on a plane and- ow." 

Spencer's hands stilled, "Too hard?" 

She shook her head and let out a sigh. "It's just tight." 

"Want me to stretch it out?" He asked. 

"Yes, please." She closed her eyes as his hands ran over her body, gently manipulating her arms so the protesting muscles released and she started to finally feel human again. Eventually his hands left her back and she felt his lips on the back of her neck. 

"How's that?" He whispered, using one hand to brush her hair off her face and continue kissing her gently. 

Olivia smiled at his touch. "You are too good to me." She felt him roll off of her and pull her into his arms as he laid on the bed. "No." He said, finally kissing her lips. "I just love you." 

She couldn't help but smile against his lips before he pulled back and began playing with her hair. "Well, in that case..." Olivia smirked rolling him further onto his back and reaching for his belt. "Why don't you let me return the favour, Doctor?" 

***

They ended up chasing the unsub all the way to South Miami. Well, more specifically, Morgan and Lopez did. The rest of them arrived on the scene after the fact, once Steven Fitzgerald was already in police custody. 

Now they were all back together again, packing up their files from the police station. Olivia and Emily watched as JJ carefully approached Will with a plastic bag. "Detective Lopez sighed this into your custody." She said quietly. 

"Thank you." He said, looking down at the package in his hands with a sigh. "Just still can't believe it."

"That Charlie was gay?" She asked.

They watched as Will shook his head, "No- that he thought he couldn't tell me." He explained. "That he thought he had to hide it. I mean I can't think of anything I'd care less about than him being gay, you know?" He sighed. "He was my friend and I loved him. All I ever would have wanted was for him to be happy, you know?" He gave her one last small smile before picking up his bag and walking past her. "Take care of yourself, JJ." 

"Okay, we really have to do something." Olivia whispered. 

"Is she seriously going to let him leave?" Emily asked. 

"This is my point. Look- just go." She said, shoving her towards the woman.

"Go- why do I have to go?" Emily protested, but she was already on her feet and heading towards JJ. 

Olivia watched as the two women spoke quietly. "What's going on over here?" Derek asked as he and Spencer stepped beside her. "Sssh." Olivia said, smacking him in the arm. "Wait for it."

The three of them stood there as JJ suddenly left Emily's side, running after him. "Hey, Will." She called, stopping him in his tracks. The man turned and looked at her. "It's not that I didn't want them to know-" She started as she rambled. " I-I don't care about that, it's not about the relocating, It's not about travelling on the weekends, or...some guy, it's... I-I didn't want to tell anyone because...the minute I-I do, it becomes...real. And when it becomes real people get hurt. And I've-I-I've always run from getting hurt. Always. But I'm...I don't want to run anymore." She said finally. "Not from you- and..."

"JJ, just shut up." Will said, taking a hold of the back of her head and pulling her in for a kiss. 

"Well finally." Derek said as Emily nodded in agreement. "I thought she was never going to admit it."

"Yeah- what's it been, like a year?" Spencer asked as they all chuckled and walked out of the room.


End file.
